Flights Resume at Hamburg Airport After Threat to Iran Air Plane

DALLAS – Flights to and from Hamburg Airport (HAM) were halted for approximately 1 1/2 hours on Monday due to a threat received by authorities regarding an A330-200 from Iran Air (IR).

According to the German news agency DPA, at 12:40 p.m. (1040 GMT), takeoffs and landings at the airport in northern Germany were suspended, and some incoming flights were redirected to Hannover and other locations. Operations at the airport resumed later, but passengers were advised of possible delays on the airport's website.

The Federal Police confirmed that it had received an email threat on Monday morning regarding a potential attack on the Tehran-Hamburg flight IR723 but gave no further details.

The Iranian plane landed in Hamburg at around 12:20 p.m. All 198 passengers and 16 crew members underwent a thorough security check, and the aircraft and its luggage were thoroughly searched. As of now, there is no immediate update on the outcome of these security checks.

The German Air Force dispatched planes to accompany the aircraft from the point it entered German airspace, east of Berlin, to Hamburg.

https://airwaysmag.com/el-al-anti-missile-defense-systems/

Airports amid Conflicts

The news out of the German airport comes as several major airlines, including United Airlines (UA), Delta Air Lines (DL), American Airlines (AA), Lufthansa (LH) and its subsidiaries, Air France (AF), Iberia (IB), Air Canada (AC), Hainan Airlines (HU), Cathay Pacific (CX), and Korean Air (KE), have suspended flights to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV). Wizz Air (W6) and Ryanair (FR) have also canceled their scheduled flights from Vilnius to Tel Aviv amid the ongoing conflict.

According to a Reuters report from today, the Israel Airports Authority confirmed that despite the ongoing situation, TLV and Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport (ETM) near Eilat are still open and conducting both incoming and outgoing flights. These flights are believed to be primarily focused on evacuating Israeli citizens and repatriating nationals.

Israel's national carrier, El Al (LY), stated that it is following the instructions provided by the Israeli security forces.

Featured image: Iran Air EP-IJB Airbus A330-200 aircraft, introduced by Avianca Brasil (O6) in December 2014 and placed in storage at Teruel, Spain, from January 2015 until February 2017 until it became part of the IR fleet the next month. Photo: Ervin Eslami/Airways