Terminal will be closed to passengers Anti-Terror Exercise at Cologne/Bonn Airport
SANKT AUGUSTIN/ BONN/ COLOGNE · An anti-terror exercise is being carried out at a German airport for the first time. Cologne police, federal police forces from Sankt Augustin and customs agents are involved in the exercise that will take place at Cologne/Bonn Airport.
Overnight from November 20 to 21, federal police officers from Sankt Augustin and police units from Cologne will conduct a large-scale anti-terror exercise at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Several runs are planned as part of the exercise, in which customs workers are also involved. The exercise will not be open to the public.
Will air traffic be affected by the exercise?
According to the Federal Police Directorate in Sankt Augustin, large areas of Terminal 1 will be closed off during the exercise. The entire Terminal 1 will not be available for passengers to check-in for flights scheduled during this time period. Instead, all flight operations will be carried out in Terminal 2 during the anti-terror exercise. Operations at Terminal 2 are expected to run without any disruptions.
Cologne/Bonn Airport says it will publish further information well in advance of the anti-terror exercise so that passengers are informed. Further details will follow in the coming days, according to an airport spokeswoman.
Have similar exercises already taken place?
So far, similar exercises have only been carried out at various railway stations throughout Germany or in shopping centers such as the Neumarkt-Galerie in Cologne. The organizer of this series of exercises is the Federal Police Academy based in Lübeck. The anti-terror exercise at Cologne/Bonn Airport is the first of its kind in this series.
The Cologne/Bonn Airport was chosen for logistical reasons and because it is close to the German Federal Police in Sankt Augustin. Cologne police said that they supported this initiative in order to strengthen cooperation in the event of an emergency. They are also responsible for the training in connection with the exercise. Most recently, their capabilities were put into action during a hostage-taking situation at Cologne Central Station on October 15. In that incident, they also worked in unison with the Federal Police.
(Orig. text: ga.de; Translation: ck)
