Munich Airport reopens after being closed overnight due to drone sightings that left many people stranded
Munich Airport reopened after being closed overnight due to drone sightings that grounded planes and left many stranded, igniting security concerns across Europe.
Germany’s Munich Airport has reopened following multiple drone sightings late Thursday that caused at least 17 aircraft to be grounded and affected over 3,000 people. Fifteen further aircraft were diverted to other nearby destinations, including Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Vienna.
Passengers left stranded by the abrupt closure on Friday were reassured by a spokesperson of the German flag carrier Lufthansa that “flight operations have since resumed according to schedule.”
Authorities have not confirmed the drones’ origins, and no details about their size or type have been released to the public. Federal Police spokeswoman Stefan Bayer told the Bild newspaper that the drones were first spotted at 21:30 local time (19:30 GMT) and then again an hour later.
Flights were suspended and the airport shuttered two hours before its usual midnight to five o’clock curfew. “The airport suspension resulted in the cancellation or rerouting of 19 Lufthansa flights,” said the business. For the thousands of travelers who spent the night at the airport, there were camp beds, blankets, snacks, and refreshments.
The incident takes place at the same time that a series of odd drone sightings around Europe recently prompted a leaders’ gathering in Copenhagen. Separately, 20 Russian drones infiltrated Poland and Russian MiG-31 planes broke into Estonian airspace. The airports in Copenhagen and Oslo were also temporarily closed after unknown drones were found near airports and military installations.
Russian officials have denied any involvement in the drone activity, and Danish police say there is no evidence that Moscow was involved. At a conference in Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed charges of culpability, saying, “I won’t do it again.” I will never again do it to Copenhagen, France, or Denmark.
Currently held in Munich, the Oktoberfest event attracts over six million visitors annually. The festival had already been postponed for half a day due to a bomb threat on Wednesday; the overnight airport closure caused even more difficulty for locals and tourists.
Authorities are still investigating the drone sightings as flights resume as usual, highlighting ongoing security concerns in European airspace.
