Berlin, the 7 -minute flight comes to closed airport and is hijacked. Ryanair: « Unacceptable »

A Ryanair plane was rejected by Berlin airport for introducing himself seven minutes after closing the structure. The jet was then diverted to Hanover, 250 kilometers away. It is the second time that it happens in a few weeks, in the same stopover, to the European low cost that now disputes the operating hours of the system and officially asks to « loosen the excessively rigid night ban ». But the analysis of the movements – through the flight tracking sites – shows that the Aviolinea started the Boeing so much late that it would have been impossible to arrive by 11.59 in the German capital.

Times

The timing, in this story, is crucial. On May 21, a Boeing 737-800 by Ryanair took off from Berlin airport, with destination Vilnius (Lithuania), at 8.52 pm, an hour and 42 minutes late compared to the official programming. The aircraft lands in the Lithuanian capital at 11.02 pm (22.02 in Italy). From there he must return to Berlin with the flight FR1571 and a duration that is an average and 17 minutes on average. In short, time, it shakes. The German airport closes between midnight and five in the morning and does not accept flights, if not those in an emergency situation.

Departure

At 11.46 pm – 10.46 pm in Berlin – Boeing starts moving from the parking lot. It is already late. In the fastest connections between the two cities, the aircraft took an hour and 14 minutes and if this was the case, it would mean touching the track a few seconds after midnight. But the jet starts take off only at 11.53 pm – 22.53 in Germany – and it is already known that it would arrive far beyond the closing time. An hour later, at 11.53 pm in Berlin, the German radar center warns the pilots of the low cost that they will no longer be able to go into the expected airport and will have to divert to Hanover.

The disputes

The plane lands at 00.26 and passengers are brought to Berlin by bus. And making the low cost angry. « We urge the authorities to loosen the excessively rigid flight ban on Berlin airport, which led to the useless deviation of the flight from Vilnius, although the flight was late of only seven minutes due to adverse weather conditions, on which Ryanair had no control », reads a note from the carrier.

« Exceptional circumstances »

«Despite these exceptional circumstances, completely outside the company control, the lubb (the joint aeronautical authority of the high Bavaria Berlin-Brandeburg, editor’s note) refused to grant a minimum extension. It is unacceptable that passengers are subjected to useless inconveniences », underlines the note. « It would be much more reasonable, and even more ecological, to allow companies a certain flexibility to land in justified cases even shortly after the start of the ban. »

The operation of Berlin

As the Courier In the previous story, the notes sent to the pilots recall that the stop between midnight and five in the morning on scheduled flights to Berlin airport is rigid. And that there is also a reduction of movements (maximum 31) in the 23-24 and 5-6 bands in the morning. With further prescriptions: between 23.30 and midnight and 5 and 5.30 in the morning only late flights are authorized.