Cyber Incident Victim: Air Calédonie
Date:
Feb 2022
Location:
New Caledonia
Summary
Air Calédonie experienced operational disruptions following a widespread power outage, leading to a gradual resumption of services. Flight schedules were adjusted for the day, with affected passengers notified directly of revised timings. The call center resumed operations but faced high call volumes, prompting the company to advise customers to prioritize its website for assistance. Service recovery efforts continued amid acknowledged customer inconvenience.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 3 motives | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On February 1, 2022, Air Calédonie experienced a widespread power outage that disrupted normal operations. The electrical failure forced an immediate halt to the airline’s activities, requiring a phased recovery process. Flight schedules were significantly impacted, leading the company to implement revised timetables for the day. Affected passengers received direct notifications via message with updated departure and arrival details. Concurrently, the airline’s call center resumed functionality but faced severe operational strain due to high call volumes, limiting its capacity to handle customer inquiries efficiently. Air Calédonie explicitly advised passengers to prioritize online channels via its website for service requests and information retrieval to alleviate pressure on communication systems.
The incident caused cascading logistical challenges, including flight delays and rescheduling demands across the airline’s network. Operational resumption occurred incrementally, with no immediate restoration of full service capacity. Customer service infrastructure remained a critical bottleneck, as the call center’s overwhelmed staff struggled to manage inbound demand despite restored telephony access. The airline publicly acknowledged the disruption through its official communication platform, emphasizing transparency and apologizing for the inconvenience. No details regarding the root cause of the power outage, duration of the electrical failure, or broader infrastructure damage were disclosed in the immediate statement. Air Calédonie concluded its update by thanking passengers for their patience without specifying a timeline for full operational normalization.