A cyber-attack on Manchester Airports Group has reportedly resulted in the theft of data belonging to about 8.7 million customers of Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports. The group refused a ransom demand understood to be below £5 million, raising the prospect that the stolen information could be sold; although no financial details were taken, the breach may enable targeted scams and fraud.

The compromised data relates to airport car parks, lounges, fast-track bookings and Wi-Fi registrations, and includes email addresses, phone numbers, postcodes and vehicle registration numbers. MAG said airport operations, passenger safety and aviation security were unaffected, while the National Cyber Security Centre and Information Commissioner’s Office were notified; travellers are being urged to be alert to suspicious messages and calls.