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Hamburg airport flights resume after ‘violent’ security breach

Flights have resumed at Hamburg airport after more than 200 flights were cancelled due to a 24-hour hostage situation over the weekend.

Services had to be suspended on Saturday night to to a police operation after a vehicle was driven through a security barrier and parked under an aircraft as it was preparing to take off.

Police reported that a man in the car with his four year old daughter shot a weapon twice in the air and threw burning bottles.

He eventually gave himself up and was arrested.   

A total of 286 flights with around 34,500 passengers were planned for Sunday, A total of 213 flights were cancelled.

Six departures and four arrivals were cancelled on Saturday and 17 inbound aircraft diverted to other airports, affecting a total of 3,200 passengers.

The German airport said on Sunday evening: “The terminals and access roads have reopened following the conclusion of the police measures. Take-offs and landings are possible again. There will still be considerable cancellations and delays today. 

“As things stand, 119 take-offs and 94 landings had to be cancelled today.”

An airport spokesperson said: “The perpetrator used an act of brute force to gain access to a multi-security area last night [Saturday]. 

“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.”

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