The situation for passengers at Cologne/Bonn Airport has eased somewhat in recent days. The past weekend was free of chaos and the queues at the security checkpoint have recently been significantly shorter.

However, individual flights are still cancelled and there may still be longer waiting times at the counters and security checks at Cologne/Bonn Airport at other times. A fast lane is now not available. The airport administration therefore recommends arriving at the airport at least 2.5 hours before the scheduled departure time. Travellers should also check the check-in times with the airlines beforehand.

The following connections at Cologne/Bonn Airport have been cancelled on Sunday, 7 August 2022:

Departure

- EW 396 to Dublin (DUB), original departure 10.15

- EW 008 to Berlin (BER), original departure 13.15

- EW 424 to Nice (NCE), original departure 13.25

- EW 086 to Munich (MUC), original departure 16.50

Arrival

- EW 285 from Klagenfurt (KLU), original arrival 9.40

- EW 397 from Dublin (DUB), original arrival 14.55

- EW 009 from Berlin (BER), original arrival 16.10

- EW 425 from Nice (NCE), original arrival 17.35

- EW 087 from Munich (MUC), original arrival 20.15

Further cancellations are to be expected in the coming days. In addition, numerous flights are delayed.

Not only Cologne/Bonn Airport is affected by cancellations, but also the airports in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.

The shops on the ground floors of the Kaiserpassagen are still sparsely tenanted. This has been the case for several years. In addition, residents complain about messy corners, especially on the outside of the former showpiece shopping mile. Rubbish also accumulates quickly in the corners of the sometimes winding corridors and stairways, and there is an unpleasant smell of urine, especially near the underground car park. This is particularly intense when the weather is hot.

Where once there were chic little shops, cafés and restaurants in the arcades between Münsterplatz and Kaiserplatz, there is a yawning emptiness. Shop windows are emblazoned with posters saying they are for rent. At least a few shops still attract customers, such as a children's shoe shop, an optician or the Asian food market that has moved into the former premises of the dm drugstore chain. The Café Extrablatt in the former Roses also brings life to the area.

Ralf Franken is planning to reopen the designer fashion shop Chin's in September after completing some formalities. The previous owner, his partner, died suddenly at the beginning of the year (the GA reported). A radiology practice, which has moved into the ground floor, has also brought more foot traffic to the Kaiserpassagen. A hairdresser has also opened on the corner of Kaiserplatz. She had to move out of the former Hotel Residence, which is currently being renovated. What is planned there has so far not been announced.

Andrea Forst-Raasch’s pharmacy is a few doors down from the bus station. "We not only struggle with the problem that we often have to clean up dirt and broken bottles in front of the entrance doors in the morning," she tells the GA during a tour of the Kaiserpassagen. It also happens time and again that homeless people lock themselves in the arcade in the evening, unnoticed by the security services, in order to spend the night there. If someone then accidentally fails to close the door properly when leaving the underground car park, the uninvited guests can enter and leave the building unhindered despite the locked entrances.

Then there is the dirt and the stench: traces of urine can be seen in quite a few places on the façade, and in another corner, indefinable rubbish is rotting away. "We residents already have enough problems with the ever-growing homeless and addict scene around Kaiserplatz," says Forst-Raasch. Added to this is the pollution of the passages - at least in some areas.

Ralf Franken is more relaxed about the situation in the Kaiserpassage. He told the GA that he thinks things have improved considerably in terms of cleanliness recently. However, he still sees one or two problems, for example with "wild peeing". In response to a question from the GA, the Zurich insurance company said that a new cleaning services was commissioned at the beginning of the year and they are on site every day cleaning away despite the well-known challenges.

Zurich spokesperson Bernd Engelien said that the company would take further measures to remedy the problems in the Kaiserpassage. "We can see for ourselves that the situation there is not yet okay," he said in an interview with the GA. It was well known that the scene had shifted more and more around Kaiserplatz from the Bonner Loch, which has since been closed up. "Additional precautions will now be taken to ensure that no one can stay in the arcades overnight," he promised. After all it is also in the company's interest that residents and passers-by feel at ease in the building. Among other things, new gates are to be installed at the Martinsplatz 2a entrance (next to Extrablatt) and at the Wesselstraße entrance. The underground car park entrance had already been secured months ago with an additional mesh door.

When asked about vacancies, Engelien said that the general conditions for new lettings were "not optimal", not least because of the Coronavirus situation and now also because of the new traffic routing. The city centre is becoming more and more difficult to reach for motorists, which does not exactly make it easy to rent out the shops. "First the university garage was closed for years because of the refurbishment, then came the lockdowns and the capping of the City Ring." In addition, online retailing has definitely ensured that businesspeople have become more cautious when it comes to new openings. "There is a lot of uncertainty overall," Engelien says.

Regarding the persistent rumour that Zurich wants to sell the Kaiserpassagen, Engelien explained: "There are no sales talks going on. On the contrary, he said, Zurich definitely wants to develop the building, which was built in 1978. "For us, it is still a good and attractive building."

Original text: Lisa Inhoffen

The pictures from the scene of the accident have caused some amazement: How could the tractor in the field in Klein-Vernich near Weilerswist collide with the pole of the overhead power line on Thursday, causing it to topple? As reported, the crash in the field resulted in a secondary accident, as a couple from Weilerswist drove their car into the live power cables, which had fallen onto the Kreisstraße 11. A 51-year-old woman in the passenger seat was injured in the accident. Her 60-year-old husband, who was not injured, said that he had not seen the power cables because of a dark cloud of smoke. The fire had probably been caused by flying sparks in an area next to the road.

According to the police, the 16-year-old tractor driver, who suffered minor injuries, had the appropriate driving licence and had been properly instructed. He was driving the machine with trailer for work-related reasons, i.e. he is employed or undergoing training by the agricultural company responsible. "There are no indications of technical failure," explains police spokesperson Franz Küpper. Instead, the youth is now being investigated for negligent bodily injury in road traffic.

Küpper did not comment on the question of how the 16-year-old explained the crash, referring to the ongoing investigations. In any case, the police are only dealing with the tractor accident insofar as it is linked to the accident with the car. "Everything else is a civil matter," explained the spokesperson, who could not yet put a figure on the amount of property damage to the car.

The damage to the electricity infrastructure of Westnetz GmbH is likely to be incomparably higher. The grid operator is still investigating the amount involved.

On Saturday, the distribution network operator erected a new temporary electricity pylon. The special feature of the temporary mast system that Westnetz has now deployed is that the mast consists of a modular construction system that can be used quickly and flexibly, especially in such emergency situations. In addition, this modular system can be used for any height and terrain, according to Westnetz. In the afternoon, ropes were pulled into the makeshift mast.

The company hopes that the mast with the power lines can go into operation on Sunday evening. If this continues to go according to plan, it can be assumed that the grid will be safe again. The company emphasises that the grid is already back to normal, "i.e. all end customers are currently supplied".

By Alexander Barth