Budget airline easyJet has been the target of a “highly sophisticated” attack in which the personal details of nine million customers have been accessed.

The airline, which has grounded most of its flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is locked in a long-running battle with its founder and biggest shareholder, said hackers had also accessed the credit card details of more than 2,000 customers.

“There is no evidence that any personal information of any nature has been misused, however .. we are communicating with the approximately 9 million customers whose travel details were accessed to advise them of protective steps to minimise any risk of potential phishing,” it said. 

The company said it had brought in leading forensic experts to investigate the issue. It has also notified the Information Commissioner’s Office and the National Cyber Security Centre.

Hackers have stepped up their efforts to target major companies and the data they hold on customers. British Airways was hit in 2018 with the theft of credit card details of hundreds of thousands of its customers, while Cathay Pacific was also targeted.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.