Germany’s Munich airport halted operations for the second time in 24 hours due to reported drone activity. In a statement issued Friday evening, the airport announced that flights were suspended at 9.30 pm (local time), affecting approximately 6,500 passengers.
“On the evening of October 3, German air traffic control (DFS) restricted flight operations at Munich Airport as a precautionary measure due to unconfirmed drone sightings and suspended them until further notice,” the airport said in a statement.
The airport had earlier suspended 17 flights shortly after 10.00 pm (local time) on Thursday, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Additionally, 15 incoming flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Vienna, Austria, the airport said in a statement.
The airport reopened at 5.00 am (local time) on Friday after flight arrivals and departures were deemed safe.
“Now everything has resumed. Some flights were cancelled but the airport has reopened. Since 5 am, all arrivals and departures are safe,” a call handler assisting passengers was quoted as saying by CNN.
The first flight scheduled to land in Munich was a Lufthansa long-haul service from Bangkok, expected at 5.25 am (local time), according to the airport’s website.
The Bavarian airport, a key hub for Lufthansa, handled nearly 20 million passengers in the first half of this year.
Munich has become the latest European airport affected by drone sightings, following incidents in Denmark and Norway that disrupted travel for tens of thousands of passengers.
Europe has remained on high alert in recent weeks amid repeated drone sightings and alleged Russian incursions into Nato airspace in Poland and Romania, as well as reported violations of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets.
On Wednesday, European Union leaders backed new measures to bolster the bloc’s defenses against Russian drones.
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday joked that he would no longer fly drones over Denmark, though Moscow has denied any involvement in the recent incidents.
“On the evening of October 3, German air traffic control (DFS) restricted flight operations at Munich Airport as a precautionary measure due to unconfirmed drone sightings and suspended them until further notice,” the airport said in a statement.
The airport had earlier suspended 17 flights shortly after 10.00 pm (local time) on Thursday, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Additionally, 15 incoming flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Vienna, Austria, the airport said in a statement.
The airport reopened at 5.00 am (local time) on Friday after flight arrivals and departures were deemed safe.
“Now everything has resumed. Some flights were cancelled but the airport has reopened. Since 5 am, all arrivals and departures are safe,” a call handler assisting passengers was quoted as saying by CNN.
The first flight scheduled to land in Munich was a Lufthansa long-haul service from Bangkok, expected at 5.25 am (local time), according to the airport’s website.
The Bavarian airport, a key hub for Lufthansa, handled nearly 20 million passengers in the first half of this year.
Munich has become the latest European airport affected by drone sightings, following incidents in Denmark and Norway that disrupted travel for tens of thousands of passengers.
Europe has remained on high alert in recent weeks amid repeated drone sightings and alleged Russian incursions into Nato airspace in Poland and Romania, as well as reported violations of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets.
On Wednesday, European Union leaders backed new measures to bolster the bloc’s defenses against Russian drones.
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday joked that he would no longer fly drones over Denmark, though Moscow has denied any involvement in the recent incidents.
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