Cologne airport was evacuated on Monday due to a security breach. Airport authorities were forced to cancel at least one flight and delay countless others after a woman walked through security without being properly checked.
On Monday, March 1st, 2016, authorities at the Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany were forced to take action after a major security breach occurred.
German officials said parts of Cologne airport was evacuated after a security breach involving an unnamed woman, who was able to walk through security without being checked. At least one flight was cancelled, and several others were delayed after the failure to check a passenger had police scrambling to resolve the matter. A spokesman for Cologne Bonn Airport said in a brief statement:
“…the evacuation of Terminal 2 was still going on and a federal police investigation had been launched.”
He went on to deny the rumors that two terminals were evacuated, and two incidents had taken place that day. The representative added:
“A woman passed security check without being checked,. In such cases there is a rule that the whole security area has to be evacuated.”
A passenger by the name of Marco Tarsia shared an image on social media where dozens of passengers could be seen being forced to leave the terminal for security checks to be carried out a second time. According to AirLive’s Twiter feed, the passengers on a Ryanair flight heading to Berlin were asked to exit the plane and return to security screening.
They also shared a post revealing that two police helicopters circled the airport after the incident. The Paris attacks and a Russian plane bombing in Egypt have European airport officials on high alert.
With around 10.3 million passengers passing through it in 2015, Cologne Bonn Airport is the seventh largest passenger airport in Germany and the third most important regarding cargo operations.
BREAKING Several flights cancelled at Cologne airport due to security breach, non authorized people on the airfield https://t.co/3gJpi9hYSJ
— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) March 1, 2016
ALERT Terminal 2 is closed at Cologne airport (CGN) due to a security issue. Ongoing police operation https://t.co/3gJpi9hYSJ
— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) March 1, 2016
UPDATE Police helicopter is flying over Cologne airport pic.twitter.com/zuVnY0Orbl
— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) March 1, 2016
ALERT Passengers of Ryanair #FR184 from Cologne to Berlin have to leave the plane and return to security screening.
— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) March 1, 2016
