Timeline: Hawaiian Airlines Cybersecurity Event

‍DALLAS — Alaska Group carrier Hawaiian Airlines (HA) disclosed a significant cybersecurity event on June 26, 2025, that has affected some of its IT systems. The airline first announced the incident at 7:45 a.m. HST (10:45 a.m. PST) and provided an update later that day at 1:00 p.m. HST (4:00 p.m. PST), indicating the ongoing nature of the situation.

According to The Register, HA first discovered the compromise on June 23, 2025, as reported in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on June 27. The airline immediately took steps to safeguard its operations and systems upon learning of the event.

Current Status, Response

Despite the cybersecurity incident, HA has maintained that its highest priority remains the safety and security of guests and employees. The carrier has emphasized that all flights are operating safely and as scheduled, with no impact on passenger travel.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it is in contact with HA and monitoring the situation, stating there has been "no impact on safety, and the airline continues to operate safely".

The airline has engaged appropriate authorities and cybersecurity experts to assist in investigation and remediation efforts. HA is working toward what it describes as an "orderly restoration" of affected systems. Both Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines websites displayed alerts about the incident, though these were removed by Friday morning.

Technical Details, Speculation

While HA has not disclosed specific details about the nature of the attack, cybersecurity experts suspect it may be a ransomware incident.

The terminology "cybersecurity event" is frequently used in the context of ransomware attacks, where hackers encrypt critical systems and demand payment to restore access. However, as of Friday, no ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Despite the IT systems being affected, HA’s website and mobile app appeared to be functioning normally as of Thursday evening. The company has not specified which systems were compromised or whether any customer data was at risk.

Impact on Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group completed its US$1.9 billion acquisition of HA in September 2024, following the U.S. Department of Justice's decision not to challenge the purchase. The deal has proven beneficial, with HA contributing to better-than-expected profits and sales in Alaska Air's first-quarter results.

Following the disclosure of the cybersecurity incident, shares of Alaska Air Group ticked lower on Friday. The stock has lost approximately 25% of its value this year. As of June 27, 2025, Alaska Air Group stock was trading at $49.42, showing a daily increase of 0.83% but down 5.84% for the month.

Recent Similar Incidents

The HA incident comes amid a broader pattern of cyberattacks targeting the aviation industry. Just two weeks prior, Canadian airline WestJet (WS) was hit by a similar cybersecurity incident that affected its mobile app and internal systems.

The WS attack, which began on June 13, 2025, remained unresolved more than a week later, with investigations ongoing to assess whether sensitive data or customer information was compromised.

Other notable aviation cybersecurity incidents include the August 2024 ransomware attack on Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) by the Ryuk gang and Japan Airlines' (JL) December 2024 cyberattack, which caused flight delays.

Furrther, the aviation industry has experienced a dramatic 600% year-on-year increase in cyberattacks, with 27 attacks recorded between January 2024 and April 2025, involving 22 different ransomware groups.

Industry Investment in Cybersecurity

Nearly 80% of carriers in North America ranked cybersecurity as one of their top three IT priorities for 2025, with almost half citing it as their number one priority. Airlines are investing heavily in privileged account management, single sign-on authentication, and DDoS protection. Additionally, 82% of airlines are using or planning to use AI and machine learning for threat detection and analysis.

The global aviation cybersecurity market is expected to grow significantly, from $4.6 billion in 2023 to $8.42 billion by 2033. This investment surge reflects the industry's recognition of the critical importance of protecting increasingly digitalized operations from sophisticated cyber threats.

The FAA's safety office, which oversees airline operations, remains in close contact with HA regarding the incident. The agency has emphasized that there has been no impact on flight safety and that the airline continues to operate securely.

This regulatory oversight is crucial given the critical infrastructure nature of aviation systems and the potential for cascading effects across the transportation network.