Data incident affects about 618,000 airBaltic passenger bookings

Unauthorised access to online check-in data has been detected in the systems of an external information technology (IT) service provider of airBaltic, Latvia's national airline. The incident affects about 618,000 passenger name record (PNR) bookings, the airline said on 15 November. It matters to travellers because the exposed data could potentially be used for fraud.

What data is affected

The incident concerns passengers who checked in online for airBaltic flights between 18 July and 12 November 2026. The accessed data includes names, booking numbers and flight details. Payment data, travel document data and other sensitive information were not affected. According to the company, airBaltic's own IT systems were not hit, and there are so far no signs that the data has been misused.

What the airline is doing

About 11,800 of the affected bookings are for flights that have not yet taken place; this figure may change as the investigation proceeds. As a precaution, booking management and online check-in have been disabled for these bookings. Affected passengers can check in at the airport free of charge. For other passengers, online services work as usual, and flights are operating according to schedule.

airBaltic warns that the data could be used in fake messages that appear to come from the airline or other travel providers, or in attempts to access and change bookings. Passengers should be cautious about unexpected emails, text messages or calls, including those offering compensation or a refund. Supervisory authorities, including Cert.lv, have been informed, and the investigation continues. Questions can be sent to the company's data protection specialist.

Background

airBaltic is currently going through Chapter 11 proceedings in the United States, which shield the company from creditor claims until its debt restructuring is completed. On 19 October the court approved a DIP financing structure of up to 350 million euros. The Latvian state owns 88.37% of the shares, and Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa holds 10%.