Cathay apologises over data breach but denies cover-up

The top two executives at Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific on Wednesday apologised for the firm's handling of the world's biggest airline hack that saw millions of customers' data breached but denied trying to cover it up.

The CEO and chairman also said the crisis "was one of the most serious" in the embattled firm's history and would act differently in a similar situation in future.

The pair were summoned to the city's legislative council to explain to lawmakers why it had taken five months to admit it had been hacked and the data of 9.4 million customers compromised, including passport numbers and credit card details.

Lawmakers slammed the delay as a "blatant attempt" to cover up the incident and thereby deprive customers of months of opportunities to take steps to safeguard their personal data.

However, chairman John Slosar said: "I'd like to make it absolutely clear that there was never any attempt to cover anything up." He added: "I see it as one of the most serious crises that our airline has ever faced."