Wizz Air's reaction after two Romanians ran after a plane that was preparing to take off from Cologne airport / A passenger's explanation: “I understand their desperation. They weren't the only ones”

Wizz Air reacted on Monday after the incident at Cologne airport, where two Romanians broke the window of an emergency exit and ran on the runway to catch the plane to Bucharest. The company said that unauthorized access to maneuvering areas is strictly prohibited and poses a major risk to passenger and flight safety.

“In accordance with these regulations, only authorized and properly screened personnel may enter the runway or taxiway areas. Any unauthorized presence in these areas is strictly prohibited as it poses serious risks to the individuals involved, airport operations and overall flight safety. We fully support the airport's investigation into how this situation occurred and trust that appropriate measures will be taken to prevent such an incident from occurring again. The safety of passengers, crew and ground staff remains the absolute priority for all parties involved in aviation”, the company said, according to stirileprotv.ro.

Plane witness: “Many arrived at the last minute or not at all”

A passenger on the plane to Bucharest told the Observer that the boarding procedure was faulty.

“Unfortunately, I understand their desperation. We were also on that plane and boarding was done at the last minute. At 20:50 (the gate closed at 21:00), I think there were 20% of the passengers at the gate. Why? Because we stood like sheep at the drop-off for an hour because they didn't bother to send a person to the counter. It wasn't until 19:00 (I repeat, boarding closed at 21) they opened the baggage drop-off desk and the last people left their bags at around 19:45. They were moving incredibly slowly,” he said.

The passenger explained that the security check was also a major obstacle.

“They ate up an hour of our time at the huge queue at the turnstiles and security control. Only one queue for 5-6 flights. In vain we came to the airport early, also by an hour and a little we sat in the queue at the security control. Effectively we ran to catch the plane. We were lucky that being with the little girl we crossed the first queue, the one at the passport scan, entering the special aisle for children. But then we waited 40-50 minutes to go through the very thorough check. But those who couldn't skip the first line arrived at the last moment or not at all. So you could come 15 hours before, if you had luggage to leave, you had every chance to miss the plane,” said the passenger.

Two Romanians run on the runway of the airport in Cologne after a Wizz Air plane

The two Romanians on Saturday at the airport in Cologne, Germany, broke the window of an emergency exit to reach the place where the plane was, then ran to catch the Wizz Air flight to Bucharest, according to Bild.

The aircraft had its engines running and had started to head towards the runway, when the Romanians, two men aged 28 and 47 respectively, approached the plane and signaled to the pilots to stop and let them board the plane.

German authorities said “delayed passengers reportedly broke the window of an emergency switch at 9.33pm and pressed the button to open the door to the runway”.

The airport staff intervened and handed the two over to the police. A criminal complaint was filed against them for trespassing on private property.