Munich airport reopened on Friday morning after being closed overnight due to multiple drone sightings, a Reuters witness said, marking the latest disruption to European air travel amid growing concerns over drone activity.
The airport said that “drone sightings on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers.”
Another 15 arriving flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt.
German air traffic control officials confirmed that flight operations at Munich airport were first restricted at 10:18 p.m. (2018 GMT) on Thursday and later suspended altogether due to several drone sightings.
The incident comes just days after Denmark and Norway experienced similar disruptions when drone sightings forced temporary airport closures. Denmark has not specified who might be responsible, though Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suggested it could be Russia.
European Union leaders responded on Wednesday by backing plans to strengthen the bloc’s defences against Russian drones. Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, dismissed the claims, joking on Thursday that “he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore.” Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents.
The city of Munich was already on high alert this week after Oktoberfest was briefly closed due to a bomb threat and explosives were found in a residential building in the city’s north.