LOT Polish Flights Grounded by Hacker Attack

A LOT 787 Dreamliner at the gate in Warsaw

Almost two dozen flights operated by LOT Polish Airlines were grounded Sunday after hackers attacked one of its computer systems.

Hackers targeted a computer system used to issue flight plans for flights departing from Warsaw Chopin Airport in Poland, leaving the airline unable to create flight plans for outbound flights.

At least ten flights were cancelled and an additional 12 were delayed.  More than 1,400 passengers were impacted by the attack.

A statement on the Polish flag carrier’s website said that the problem is now under control and its computer systems in Warsaw are able to create flight plans once again.

Flights to cities including Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Copenhagen as well as to several cities in Poland were impacted although the attack did not affect any aircraft that were already airborne.

The source of the hack is the subject of an ongoing investigation.

“We’re using state-of-the-art computer systems,” said LOT spokesman Adrian Kubicki, noting that “this could potentially be a threat to others in the industry.”

(Photo: Accura Media Group)