Four airports — three in Canada and one in the United States — were reportedly hacked on Tuesday, displaying messages that praised Hamas and criticised leaders including US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The incident triggered concern among passengers and led to a temporary disruption of airport display systems.
Which Airports Were Targeted?
The affected airports include:
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Kelowna International Airport (British Columbia)
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Victoria International Airport (British Columbia)
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Windsor International Airport (Ontario)
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Harrisburg International Airport (Pennsylvania, US)
Visuals and videos of the hacked screens have gone viral on social media. In these clips, pro-Hamas slogans and anti-Israel messages could be seen on flight information displays.
What the Airports Said
A spokesperson for Victoria International Airport confirmed the hack to Reuters.
They said attackers broke into third-party cloud software used to manage the airport’s information systems.
“We moved to an internal system to take back control,” the spokesperson added, noting that systems were restored within hours.
Similarly, Windsor International Airport stated that the breach affected a cloud-based software provider, and normal operations resumed shortly afterward.
All four targeted airports are smaller regional hubs serving domestic routes.
What Messages Were Displayed?
At Pennsylvania’s Harrisburg Airport, travellers reported hearing a voice over the loudspeaker saying:
“Free Palestine,” followed by expletives against Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
The announcement also included a claim by a hacker group, allegedly stating, “Turkish hacker Cyber Islam was here.”
In Canada, screens at Kelowna and Victoria airports reportedly displayed messages such as:
“Israel lost the war, Hamas won the war honorably.”
While the visuals have circulated widely, HT.com could not independently verify their authenticity.
Government Response
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), along with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, is investigating the breaches in Canada.
In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local airport authorities have launched parallel investigations.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned the attacks in a post on X (formerly Twitter):
“This is absolutely unacceptable and understandably scared travelers.”
Cyberattacks on Airports Are Rising
This incident adds to a growing wave of cyberattacks targeting aviation networks worldwide.
Just last month, several major European airports, including London’s Heathrow and Brussels Airport, faced temporary disruptions after a coordinated cyberattack on flight systems.
Experts warn that smaller airports using third-party cloud providers are often more vulnerable to such breaches due to weaker cybersecurity infrastructure.
