Travel businesses – large and small – are being advised to protect themselves against cyber attacks.

Speaking at the ABTA Convention in Majorca this week, Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy said cyber crime was a huge risk for the travel industry.

“We can’t underestimate the impact of a cyber attack. It means businesses can’t operate for a number of weeks and then you risk getting a massive fine, and that can take you under. It’s important customers take this very seriously. It can have a catastrophic effect on your business.”

He advised conference delegates to seek advice about how to protect themselves and said this applies to businesses of any size.

Neil Swanson, TUI UK&I Managing Director, said: “The risk of a cyber attack doesn’t keep me awake at night, but it’s a huge risk. I feel bad saying it, but you’ve got to make yourself more difficult to hack than other businesses.”

ABTA Chief Executive Mark Tanzer identified cyber crime as one of the biggest challenges for the industry going forward.

“I think cyber attacks are a big problem and travel and transport networks are very susceptible to drone or cyber attacks. We’re all now so interconnected so we need to prepare for what would happen if there was a major cyber challenge.”

The warning came just weeks after a cyber attack on Collins Aerospace, which handles airport baggage and check-in systems, caused days of disruption at several European airports including Heathrow.