Alarm in Innsbruck

Half-naked man runs onto airfield and stops Boeing

The dangerous scenes were captured on camera.

(Bild: privat)

Dramatic scenes were captured by a plane spotter at Innsbruck Airport on Wednesday afternoon: he photographed a half-naked man as he ran onto the airfield - directly in front of a Boeing 737! 

An unusual scene took place at Innsbruck Airport on Wednesday afternoon: a man of unknown origin managed to climb over the three-meter-high security fence and run onto the airfield - right in front of an approaching Boeing 737 that was taxiing onto the runway! 

I saw the man rush onto the airfield and pressed the shutter release.

Der Plane-Spotter zur „Krone“

The dramatic event was filmed by a plane spotter who was lying in wait at the eastern end of the approximately two-kilometre-long runway: "I saw the man storm onto the airfield and pressed the shutter button," the eyewitness reported in an interview with "Krone". 

Passenger plane stopped abruptly
His pictures clearly show how the man storms across the airfield without his upper body - directly towards a passenger plane that was on the tarmac and about to taxi onto the runway.

The Transavia plane stopped abruptly.

(Bild: Privat)

"I then saw the plane stop abruptly and come to a halt. Then it wasn't long before the first vehicle, presumably from security, appeared on the scene."

Several vehicles chased the man
The man then apparently tried to flee. "He was chased across the site by several vehicles," says the eyewitness, describing his impressions as he recorded the incident with his professional camera. In the meantime, the plane, a scheduled Transavia flight to Eindhoven, had started moving again and took off in the opposite direction. More and more emergency vehicles appeared on the scene.

Several vehicles, including one from the fire department, chased the man.

(Bild: Privat)

"In the end, the man was probably arrested and taken away," says the plane spotter. According to the departure schedule at Innsbruck Airport, the plane took off for Eindhoven at 2.11 p.m. - just eleven minutes late.

Background still unclear
How the man was able to get onto the fenced-off airport grounds is a complete mystery: the fence around the airport is around three meters high and secured with barbed wire. 

"I noticed the man as he walked past me, but didn't pay him any attention at first. It was only when he knelt down on the side of a path as if he wanted to pray that I became suspicious. Then he ran off."

The man was certainly not of European descent, says the photographer, who does not wish to be named.

A police spokesperson confirms the incident: the man has been arrested and is currently being questioned.