Massive flight delays due to NATO maneuvers, according to the union

With the Nato-Exercise “Air Defender” takes place over German airspace from June 12 to 23, the defense alliance’s largest air force maneuver to date. A total of 250 military aircraft from 25 nations are involved in the maneuver. Passengers must expect delays and cancellations during this time.

German airspace is divided into three sectors during the maneuver. In East Airspace (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to the Baltic Sea) airspace is closed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in South Airspace (Bavaria to Baden-Württemberg) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and in North Airspace (over the North Sea) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. There are no exercises at night or on weekends.

50,000 minutes of delay per maneuver day expected

The German air traffic control (DFS) assumes delays and longer flight times. Failures are not expected. “It will be a matter of minutes at most,” said the inspector of the German Air Force, Ingo Gerhartz, about possible flight delays.

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The GdF air traffic controllers union sees things differently. “The military exercise “Air Defender” will of course have a massive impact on the course of the civil ones aviation have,” said its chairman Matthias Maas of the German Press Agency. He referred to a scenario calculated by the European air traffic control organization Eurocontrol, which shows up to 50,000 minutes of delay per day of maneuver. The airport association ADV also expects significant impairments.

In order to avoid failures and delays, Transport Minister proposes Volker Wissing (FDP) proposes a relaxation of the night flight bans. The airlines should be able to postpone their flights into the night when the airspace is no longer restricted. The airports Stuttgart, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt are already planning to extend the operating hours, like the “ADAC” reported.

kh with material from the dpa