Due to a police operation, flight operations at Hamburg Airport had to be suspended from last Saturday, 4 November 2023, 20:24 hrs, until today, Sunday, 5 November 2023, 17:30 hrs. Flight operations have since resumed. Take-offs and landings are possible again. As a result of this interruption, there may be further flight cancellations and delays throughout the day today. As things stand, 213 flights have been cancelled so far today. Passengers and travellers picking up passengers are asked to continue to check the current status of their flight (for example on the airport's website https://www.hamburg-airport.de/en) and to contact their airline or tour operator if necessary: https://www.hamburg-airport.de/en/plan-book/airlines
Figures on the effects on 4 November:
6 departures and 4 arrivals were cancelled yesterday, Saturday. 17 arriving aircraft were diverted to other airports. Accordingly, 27 flight movements with around 3,200 passengers were affected.
Figures on the impact on 5 November:
A total of 286 flights (139 departures and 147 arrivals) with around 34,500 passengers were planned for today. As things stand, 213 flights (119 departures and 94 arrivals) have been cancelled. There may be further cancellations and delays throughout the day.
"The perpetrator used an act of brute force to gain access to a multi-security area last night. The car was driven through a security barrier at high speed. The driver took no account of whether he could injure or endanger himself, his passenger or the staff at the security gate.
If it is not possible to prevent the violent intrusion, then our top priority and the safety of everyone present is to stop the perpetrator(s) as quickly as possible. What is important here is the effective mix of technical measures and the physical presence of the security forces. The security forces were on site within minutes and flight operations were suspended. It goes without saying that the security measures at Hamburg Airport comply with the legal requirements - in some cases they even exceed them. In this case, too, the alarm chain and measures took effect immediately. That is why the security forces were on site so quickly.
However, such incidents also show that security concepts must be continuously re-evaluated with all parties involved - this applies to the entire critical infrastructure. Security concepts are not static, which is why we naturally work through the incident with the relevant authorities and security forces.
Please understand that we are unable to provide any further information on security-related details - Hamburg Airport is working very closely with the security authorities in this regard."
If you have any further questions about the operation, please contact the relevant security authorities directly.
Contact for media at the Hamburg State Police:
Phone: 040/4286 66032
Hamburg Airport Customer Service
Please feel free to send us an email. Our customer service will answer your message as soon as possible.
E-Mail: info@ham.airport.de
DE