Germany developing plans to protect airspace in case of attack

Germany has one of the world's busiest airspaces. It would have to be closed in the event of an attack on the country or another NATO ally.

Schoenemann acknowledged that airlines and airports still do not take such a scenario very seriously.

"Now we are working with the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Transport on a catalog of requirements to be ready for defense," he said.

“There are three levels of protection. The first level is when there is only a threat. At the second level, we have arguments for defense under NATO Article 5, and the third level is country defense.”

According to him, different criteria and requirements are being developed for each of these three cases.

Schoenemann noted that one of DFS's main challenges is that many civilian players and operators do not realize the possible need for a temporary shift in priorities to ensure military mobility.

"Airlines, civilian air carriers and airports are far from thinking that military actions could take place in the country," he said. “And that is what we need to work on so they know exactly what is happening in case of airspace closure and so on.”

DFS is currently holding information sessions to explain what measures may be taken.

Another issue is funding the technologies needed for uninterrupted operations.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Germany is allegedly developing and planning to implement a secret plan in case of war with Russia. The article said that about two years ago, German officers gathered at a military complex in Berlin to begin work on a secret document. Now, journalists claim they want to implement it.

German analysts expect Russia to be ready to attack NATO in 2029. However, the journalists stressed that recent incursions into EU airspace, many of which Western intelligence attributes to Moscow, suggest the Kremlin may be preparing for an earlier attack.

Later, a representative of the German Defense Ministry, Christiane Noack, denied WSJ information, stating that "there is no such plan."

On Oct. 13, the new head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Martin Jäger, said Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is determined to test European borders, which could at any moment escalate into a "hot confrontation."