Bundeswehr Tornados depart Hamburg after week-long exercise at the airport

Aim of the exercise: resilience at civilian airports

In the event that military bases come under attack in a crisis, the Bundeswehr must be able to fall back on civilian airports, the Luftwaffe explained as justification. Refuelling and cooperation with the fire service were also part of the exercise. The Luftwaffe praised the outcome: thanks to the "ausgezeichneten Zusammenarbeit" with Hamburg Airport, the manoeuvre had gone "sehr gut."

Hamburg's Senator for Economic Affairs Melanie Leonhardt (SPD) expressly welcomed the manoeuvre. "Wir werden künftig häufiger solche Übungen sehen. Die Weltlage gebietet es, dass wir vorbereitet sind." She also said that operations at a civilian airport had to be practised, as this would be necessary in crisis situations.

Criticism from residents and the political response

Among local residents and the airport's neighbouring communities, however, the exercise flights met with some criticism. BIG, the umbrella organisation of those affected by aircraft noise, said that the take-offs and overflights on Wednesday had been particularly burdensome. "Diese Flüge über Hamburg waren deutlich lauter als der zivile Flugbetrieb." According to BIG, Tornados are among the loudest types of aircraft operated in Germany. The organisation did not voice fundamental criticism of military exercises; it mainly objected to the lack of information provided to the affected public. How many complaints were received by the Bundeswehr was initially not known.

The Bundeswehr set up a complaints hotline for citizens who felt disturbed by the aircraft noise. How many calls it received has not been quantified so far. No decision has yet been made on possible further Luftwaffe exercises in Hamburg. An evaluation of the exercise is to be carried out in the coming days.

The remaining Tornado: engine test on Saturday

The Tornado from Wing "Immelmann" that remained in Hamburg must still undergo an engine test before its return flight. "Müssten am Samstag die Triebwerke des Flugzeugs getestet werden, bevor es wieder abheben dürfe." According to the Land Command, the test is scheduled for Saturday morning between 10:00 and 13:00. "Der Test zwischen 10.00 und 13.00 Uhr könnte vor allem im nördlichen Bereich des Flughafens eine Stunde lang für Lärm sorgen." The aircraft's return flight to Jagel is planned for Saturday afternoon.

During the exercise window, the Luftwaffe had advised residents to bring animals – especially horses on nearby paddocks – into stables or buildings. This was intended to reduce the risk of the animals being startled by the noise of the low-flying fighter jets.

The exercise at a major civilian airport such as Hamburg is part of the Bundeswehr's broader concept of widening its own operational base in the event of a defence scenario. In the coming days, the Luftwaffe intends to draw up a balance sheet and decide which findings from the manoeuvre will feed into future training.

From the airport's neighbouring community and BIG came the demand that future exercises of this kind be announced earlier and more comprehensively. Representatives of the initiative pointed out that better information could increase acceptance of such manoeuvres. The Bundeswehr announced that the feedback would be incorporated into the evaluation.