Fraud targeting airlines has dropped significantly across all major regions in the first half of 2025, according to figures released by Accertify, a fraud prevention and digital identity specialist.
The company’s analysis of millions of transactions found that global airline fraud rates fell by 30% year-on-year, with Europe posting the steepest decline — down by half compared with the same period in 2024.
Overall, there was one fraud attempt in every 400 bookings, or a rate of 0.25%. In the United States, the rate fell to 0.18%, the equivalent of one attempt in every 556 bookings.
Asia Pacific also recorded a fall, though it remains one of the higher-risk regions globally.
Regional shifts
In Europe, attempted fraud on departure flights now accounts for just 12% of the global total, compared with 24% a year earlier.
Naples-Capodichino International in Italy and EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg saw the sharpest year-on-year declines, while London Heathrow and Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport remained among the higher-risk hubs.
In the United States, Dallas Love Field, San Diego International and Chicago Midway airports recorded the largest decreases.
However, fraud attempts surged at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International and Seattle-Tacoma International.
Miami International continued to rank as the country’s highest-risk major airport, despite an overall decline in its fraud rate.
In the Asia Pacific region, Tokyo’s Haneda Airport saw a 72% drop in attempts, with Singapore also recording a fall. But other airports — including Auckland, Perth and Cairns — registered sharp increases, pushing Australia’s overall fraud exposure up by more than 20%.
Mark Michelon, president of Accertify said: “While we’re seeing positive trends in fraud reduction across many regions, our data shows that fraudsters are highly adaptive and constantly evolving their tactics.
“Even as overall fraud pressure decreases, they’re testing for new vulnerabilities and shifting their focus to exploit specific routes and gaps in security.
This makes robust fraud detection more critical than ever.”
