Chaos In Cologne: Two Late Passengers Run Across Tarmac To Catch Departing Wizz Air Flight

Chaos ensued erstwhile 2 men were arrested astatine Cologne/Bonn Airport precocious aft allegedly breaking an emergency exit sheet and sprinting crossed nan tarmac successful a hopeless bid to drawback their departing Wizz Air formation to Bucharest.

The incident took spot astir 9.30pm connected November 21 erstwhile nan men, aged 28 and 47, arrived astatine gross B70 aft boarding had already closed. German national constabulary opportunity nan pair, who had cleared information without immoderate issues, collapsed nan solid screen of an emergency switch, triggered nan alarm, and forced unfastened a doorway starring straight to nan exterior.

Viral video footage captures last-ditch effort to board

Video footage circulating connected social media captured nan nonsensical scene: nan 2 men, dressed successful acheronian clothing, moving toward a taxiing Airbus A321 while frantically waving their arms. The aircraft’s reddish anti-collision lights were flashing arsenic it prepared to caput for nan runway. An airdrome worker quickly intercepted them earlier they could scope nan plane.

The 2 were apprehended by airdrome unit and handed complete to nan Federal Police, a constabulary spokesperson told German outlet Bild. Criminal proceedings for trespassing person been launched, and investigators are besides examining imaginable violations of Germany’s Aviation Security Act.

Despite nan breach, authorities stressed that wide airdrome information was ne'er compromised and formation operations continued normally. Flight W43262 pushed backmost conscionable minutes down schedule and, according to FlightAware data, really departed 5 minutes early, landing successful Bucharest soon earlier 1am section time.

A Cologne/Bonn Airport spokesperson stressed nan threat nan men created for themselves: “Unauthorised persons endanger themselves if they move astir nan apron area without instructions from airdrome personnel.”

Most caller successful drawstring of flight-side breaches

The incident is nan latest successful a drawstring of passenger disruptions astatine European airports this year, raising questions connected nan effectiveness of nan information protocols successful spot connected nan airside. Both men now look imaginable fines aliases perchance moreover jailhouse clip if convicted nether German aviation law.

Wizz Air declined to remark connected nan circumstantial lawsuit but mentioned that boarding gates adjacent 30 minutes earlier departure connected astir routes and that nary re-boarding is permitted erstwhile nan craft doors are unopen and nan pitchy span removed. 

It is not known if an Entry/Exit System machine had thing to do pinch nan men being precocious for their flight.