In today’s installment of “yes, airport curfews are indeed enforced,” I reveal an incident involving a recent Condor flight that narrowly missed the airport’s curfew extension by mere seconds, resulting in a flight diversion and an inconvenient bus journey in the dead of night. Appreciation to aeroTELEGRAPH for highlighting this tale.
Delayed Condor flight narrowly misses Frankfurt Airport closing time
On Friday, September 11, 2026, Condor flight DE1809 was slated to travel from Olbia (OLB) to Frankfurt (FRA). The flight was conducted by an Airbus A320 with the registration D-ASGE, and was intended to leave at 8:15 PM and arrive at 10:15 PM.
Nonetheless, the flight suffered significant delays due to the incoming aircraft being postponed. The plane finally took off from Olbia at 10:39 PM, over two hours behind original schedule. This was certainly a race against the clock. Frankfurt Airport enforces a curfew at 11 PM, although extensions of up to an hour can be permitted, setting the latest possible landing time at 12 AM.
Reviewing historical data, the 633-mile trip typically has a flight duration ranging from 1hr24min to 1hr41min. Clearly, taking off just 1hr21min before the ultimate landing deadline is quite optimistic.
I suspect the airline concluded that transporting passengers to Germany was worthwhile, even if that meant diverting to another airport, as it would be less expensive than canceling the flight entirely and managing hotel accommodations for all affected passengers, etc. (however, a diversion would still trigger EC261 compensation regardless of timing).
In any case, the flight demonstrated impressive speed. The aircraft received clearance to approach Frankfurt Airport’s runway 25C. The landing gear was deployed, and the plane descended to 875 feet, a mere seconds from touchdown… only to be denied landing clearance. Below is the aircraft’s position at 12 AM.
The Condor aircraft missed its landing opportunity by a few seconds
Consequently, the A320 was forced to divert to Cologne (CGN), situated 85 miles away, which is among the limited major airports in Germany that operate round the clock. The plane ultimately landed there approximately 25 minutes later, at 12:25 AM.
The Condor flight then diverted to Cologne
Upon arriving in Cologne, the airline arranged for passengers to be transported to Frankfurt by bus, a journey of about two hours. Thus, I can imagine it was close to 4 AM by the time passengers reached their final destination, considering the time taken to retrieve baggage, etc.
Should airport curfews allow more leniency?
Instances like this lead one to ponder whether curfews truly fulfill their purpose. The rationale for curfews is to minimize the noise generated by aircraft near airports, benefitting local residents.
What likely produces more noise than an aircraft landing at midnight? A plane aborting its approach at a low altitude. Ultimately, residents were exposed to more noise than they would have been, simply due to strict adherence to regulations. This doesn’t even account for the additional emissions.
Rationally, one would argue there ought to be a bit of leeway… I mean, we’re discussing a matter of seconds here. However, I also understand that this creates a slippery slope. An extension of one hour had already been offered, and that’s where flexibility is just nonexistent.
Another factor to consider in these curfew incidents is that airlines often test the limits to begin with. The plane departed from Olbia with ambitions of achieving a shorter flight time than any previous flight, as far as I can determine. This was already dependent on that hour’s extension. The airline holds some accountability in this scenario. Regardless of where you set the threshold, there will always be instances where flights narrowly miss the absolute latest landing times, leaving various parties dissatisfied.
Frankfurt Airport strictly enforces curfew regulations
In conclusion
A Condor Airbus A320 traveling from Olbia to Frankfurt had to divert after it missed Frankfurt’s curfew extension by mere seconds. The plane was already configured for landing and was below 1,000 feet, yet was denied landing clearance due to just missing the cutoff time. This necessitated a diversion to Cologne, causing passengers to be transported to Frankfurt by bus, resulting in a very lengthy evening.
Is this incredibly frustrating, and does it seem unjust? Yes, absolutely. Yet, simultaneously, it feels like no matter how much flexibility is afforded, airlines will continually seek to push their limits.