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British Airways is set to be fined more than £183 million over a customer data breach, the company said. This morning the airline announced it had been notified by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office that it intends to hit BA with the huge sum because of the theft of people’s data from its website.

The fine is the equivalent of 1.5 per cent of BA’s worldwide turnover for the financial year ending December 31. In a statement, IAG, the parent group that owns British Airways, said the airline will be issued with a penalty notice under the UK Data Protection Act, totalling £183.39 million The fine relates to an incident last year in which computer hackers stole bank details from hundreds of thousands of passengers, IAG said.

British Airways chairman Alex Cruz said the airline was ‘disappointed’ by the initial finding. He said: ‘British Airways responded quickly to a criminal act to steal customers’ data. ‘We have found no evidence of fraud/fraudulent activity on accounts linked to the theft. ‘We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this event caused.’ Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA’s owner International Airlines Group (IAG), said the airline would make ‘any necessary appeals’ against the penalty.