Hamburg airport remains closed due to an ongoing hostage situation on the airport’s runway after a child was allegedly kidnapped by his father as part of a domestic dispute, according to local authorities.

“Police operation continues, air traffic remains suspended until further notice,” airport management said this morning on Platform X (formerly Twitter).

“We mobilized police psychologists and now we are talking to the perpetrator, we hope for a negotiated solution,” police spokeswoman Sandra Løvgrun told NDR television. She said it was a “very good sign” that the father of the family remained in contact with the authorities “for so long”.

Last night, at around 20:00 (local time, 21:00 Greek time), a gunman broke through a gate bar with his car and entered the airport runway, firing two shots into the air and throwing two Molotov cocktails, according to a police spokesman.

Police said they believe the incident is related to a “child custody dispute.”

According to the police authorities, the father and his child are in the car. Bild newspaper reported that the man is 35 years old and of Turkish nationality, while the child is a 4-year-old girl. Police said the negotiations are being conducted in Turkish.

Earlier, the car driver’s wife had informed the police about the child’s abduction, a police spokesman said.

Last night, 17 flights scheduled to land in Hamburg, with 3,200 people on board, were diverted to other airports. For today, 286 flights are scheduled, carrying 34,500 passengers.