Qantas hit by cyberattack, 6 million customers' data potentially compromised, CEO apologises

Millions of customers' data may have been compromised in a cyberattack on Qantas, the airline confirmed in a statement to shareholders this morning.

Chief executive Vanessa Hudson began emailing affected customers today to personally apologise.

The airline said the cyberattack occurred on Monday after a cybercriminal targeted a customer call centre and gained access to a third-party customer servicing platform.

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Qantas said the attack compromised customer data, potentially impacting 6 million customers who have service records on the system.

"Qantas can confirm that a cyber incident has occurred in one of its contact centres, impacting customer data. The system is now contained," a statement released to shareholders says.

"We understand this will be concerning for customers. We are currently contacting customers to make them aware of the incident, apologise and provide details on the support available.

"We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant."

Affected data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdays and frequent flyer numbers.

The company said credit card details, personal financial information and password details were not held in the affected system and have not been compromised.

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Qantas said frequent flyer accounts were not compromised.

Passwords and PINs were not accessed.

"We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause," Hudson said.

"Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously.

"We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support.

"We are working closely with the federal government's National Cyber Security Coordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cybersecurity experts."

In an email sent to an unknown number of affected customers tonight, Hudson said the airline took "immediate steps" to contain the third-party platform and confirmed all systems remained secure.

"I'm writing to inform you that we believe your personal information was accessed during the cyber incident we recently experienced," she said.

"I want to personally apologise that this has happened and explain what we know and how we're supporting you."

The company said it is putting additional security measures in place while conducting its investigation.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner have been notified about the incident.

The cyberattack has also been reported to the Australian Federal Police.

A dedicated customer support line is being set up for customers.

Updates will be shared with customers through Qantas' social media pages and the company's website.

A dedicated support line with access to "specialist identity protection advice and resources" is available for affected Qantas customers on on 1800 971 541 or +612 8028 0534.