Japan Airlines Returns To Operations After Cyber Attack

One of the aircraft used by Japan Airlines (Doc. Japan Airlines)

JAKARTA - Japan Airlines (JAL) said on Thursday, December 26 that its system was back to normal, following a cyberattack requiring them to delay some domestic and international flights.

Japan Airlines reportedly suffered a cyber attack on Thursday, December 26 at around 7:24 am. The attack is suspected to be a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.

As a result, this attack caused the delay of more than 20 domestic flights during the year-end holiday season. In addition, internal and external internet traffic is also inaccessible.

JAL ticket sales for domestic and international flights scheduled to depart on Thursday were temporarily suspended, but resumed hours later.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers," a JAL spokesperson quoted AviationSource NEWS as saying.

The spokesman also confirmed that his party would investigate the incident that occurred thoroughly and take further steps to prevent similar incidents.

"The safety of passengers and crew is our top priority. We are committed to thoroughly investigating this incident. We are taking all necessary steps to prevent similar incidents in the future," he added.

In June, Japan's space agency said it had been experiencing a series of cyberattacks since 2023, although sensitive information related to rockets, satellites and defenses was not affected.

The investigation was carried out to take precautions. Last year, cyber attacks paralyzed operations at container terminals at the port of Nagoya city for three days.