Airline Alaska temporarily halts operations due to unexplained IT crisis
Subhead: Flights resumed at 11 p.m. Pacific on July 20, but the airline warns of residual impacts and potential delays
Alaska Airlines resumed operations on July 20, 2025, after a three-hour ground stop due to an unspecified IT outage that affected both its mainline and Horizon Air flights. The outage occurred at approximately 8 p.m. Pacific.
At the time of writing, only eleven Alaska Airlines flights are in the air, according to FlightAware. The airline's website and social media platforms are reporting issues with IT systems. The Scattered Spider ransomware gang is a suspect in the recent cyber attacks on airlines, including a potential incident at Alaska Airlines-owned Hawaiian Airlines, but the airline did not provide an explanation for the IT outage.
The resumption of operations does not necessarily mean that Alaska Airlines' overall operations are back to normal. The airline warned that it will take some time to get overall operations back to normal due to residual impacts and potential delays. Few customers may want to fly late at night or overnight, which could also be a factor in the low number of flights.
This is a developing story, and more information will be updated as it becomes available. It's also worth noting that Alaska Airlines had previously experienced similar disruptions due to unspecified tech problems in September, but the details of those issues were not specified either.
In recent weeks, attackers have also targeted Australian airline Qantas and Air Serbia. The IT outage at Alaska Airlines is the latest in a series of cyber attacks on the aviation industry.
[1] Alaska Airlines Statement on IT Outage:
- Despite resuming operations, Alaska Airlines emphasizes the need for increased IT security to prevent potential delays and residual impacts, given the increasing trend of cybersecurity breaches in the aviation industry, as seen in recent attacks on Qantas and Air Serbia.
- Amidst the ongoing tech problems, the suspected involvement of the Scattered Spider ransomware group raises concerns about the integrity and security of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in the airline industry, which could potentially impact general news and sports secto rs.
- As the airline continues to address the IT outage, both the public and tech specialists are looking forward to improved cybersecurity measures in Alaska Airlines' technology infrastructure, ensuring the safety and efficiency of future flights, particularly in light of the airline's previous unspecified tech issues in September.
