Condor flight DE1809, operated by an Airbus A320 registered D-ASGE, was diverted from Frankfurt to Cologne/Bonn after arriving too late for Frankfurt Airport’s night-flight rules. The aircraft, carrying passengers from Sardinia, came close to the runway but was denied landing clearance and landed at Cologne/Bonn instead before travellers continued to Frankfurt by bus.
The flight had left more than two hours late after technical problems on Sardinia, but the crew recovered much of the lost time en route. Frankfurt permits delayed arrivals only until midnight, and the aircraft was already within about seven kilometres of the runway and roughly 300 metres above ground at 23:59 when it still fell outside the allowed landing window. Cologne/Bonn, which has no comparable night curfew, received the aircraft shortly after midnight.
The case highlights how tightly enforced curfews can disrupt even near-complete arrivals at major hub airports. It also illustrates the operational pressure on crews and dispatchers when technical delays leave only a narrow margin to recover schedule, as well as the added handling burden of last-minute passenger transfers after a diversion.