On [INSERT DATE] Harrisburg International Airport had a true security scare. Messages promoting Hamas and making antisemitic remarks about national political leaders were played without authorization on the facility’s public address system. This shocking event during the boarding process of just one flight triggered a swift crackdown from airport authorities.
After these unauthorized announcements, airport staff quickly cut power to the PA system in order to avoid further interruptions. Scott Miller, an airport spokesman, noted that the incident is still under investigation by local police. He stated, “The message was political in nature and did not contain any threats against the airport, our tenants, airlines, or passengers. The PA system was shut off, and the incident is under investigation by police.”
At the same time, Kelowna International Airport was experiencing a déjà vu. At approximately the same time as the Harrisburg incident, unapproved alerts appeared on Kelowna’s emergency loudspeaker system. These messages mimicked the tone and content of those from Harrisburg. They held deeply anti-imperialist and pro-Palestinian undertones, even going for President Donald Trump and Israel’s prime minister.
Kelowna International Airport officials were quick to act against the rogue digital billboard. They put an incredible effort in to recover their flight display systems. They said that work to restore the PA system completely was still in progress, prompting some passenger delays on flights. An official from Kelowna International Airport mentioned, “We are experiencing some delayed flights.”
Both incidents have escalated fears about airport security and the possible frailties of public address systems. Notably, this follows a breach in June by a notorious cybercriminal group that compromised the computer networks of multiple airlines across the United States and Canada.
The events at each airport demonstrate the difficulty all airports have in keeping secure environments and passenger experiences intact. Civil authorities are hard at work, investigating the breaches to figure out how we got here. In addition, they are looking at ways to stop such violent actions from happening again.
