Kelowna International Airport is currently conducting an investigation following a breach of its public address system and flight information display systems by an external party on Tuesday evening. Multiple witnesses reported encountering pro-Hamas and anti-Trump messages being broadcast at the airport located in British Columbia’s Okanagan region.
Phillip Elchitz, the airport’s director of operations and innovation, confirmed to CBC News that an unauthorized third party successfully accessed the flight information display system and the PA system within the terminal building. The unauthorized messages in support of Hamas and against Trump were briefly transmitted over the PA system and displayed on screens.
Elchitz mentioned that the PA system was restored within approximately 20 seconds, but it took a few minutes to remove the images from the display screens. Although a few flights experienced delays, operations returned to normal by Tuesday night with expectations of a smooth day of operations on Wednesday.
“We are collaborating with our service providers to investigate the source of these unauthorized messages on our systems and are working towards enhancing security measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” Elchitz stated in the CBC News report. He also expressed concerns that other airports might have encountered similar breaches.
Transport Canada has been contacted by CBC News for a statement on the matter.