Germany's Hanover airport resumes flights after man’s tarmac invasion

Germany's Hanover airport has reopened after an intruder drove on to the apron in his car and was overpowered by police, causing the suspension of flights.

Police walk through Hanover Airport. Flights were suspended after a man drove his car onto the tarmac. Source: EPA

Germany's Hanover airport temporarily suspended flights after a man drove on to the apron area before police stopped his car and overpowered and detained him, they said.

"Police checks of the vehicle have been completed, no dangerous objects were found. Hanover airport resumed operations at about 20:05 (1905 GMT)," Hanover police tweeted on Saturday.

They said earlier that the man drove on to the the loading and parking area for aircraft at 3.40pm local time.

An armed federal police officer stands next to air passengers at the check-in desk at Hanover Airport. Source: EPA

The Hannoversche Allgemeine newspaper reported that the man, who was in his mid-20s, was under the influence of drugs and was driving a silver BMW with Polish licence plates.

He drove through the perimeter fence and tried to pursue an Aegean Airlines plane that had just landed from Athens, the paper added.

Police stopped him after several hundred metres, it said.