Germany’s Munich Airport temporarily delayed the reboot of flight operations on Saturday morning local time due to drone sightings as previous UAV sightings had previously stopped all traffic at the airport for several hours.
Two Munich runways were closed overnight until Friday due to drone sightings. Flights resumed early Friday morning, but stopped that night after more drones were discovered.
The airport eventually reopened around 7am local time. Approximately 6,500 passengers were affected by the latest temporary shutdown, with 23 repurposed flights and 58 cancellations and delays.
Europe has gained the advantage in recent weeks as it has repeatedly witnessed unexplained drones at civil and military airports in Denmark, Germany and Norway.
And on Friday, Belgian defense officials reported that an unspecified number of drones flew across the country’s Elsenborn military base towards the border with Germany.
“This is the first incident we know,” a spokesman for the Belgian Ministry of Defense told Reuters.
Munich, a historic city of over a million people, currently hosts the famous Oktoberfest Beer Festival. The October Fest Beer Festival attracts millions of visitors from Germany and abroad.
The airport closure came before the festival finale on Sunday.
Munich Airport said there were delays “while operating throughout the day.”
Anyone hoping to travel early on Saturday mornings is advised to check the flight status on the airline’s website before arriving at the airport, the Hub said in an online statement.
CNN contacted the Bavarian State Police, the German Federal Criminal Police Station and the German national intelligence agency for comments.
Munich becomes the latest European airport after witnessing a nearby drone. Tens of thousands of passengers have been affected by sighting several airports in Denmark and Norway in recent weeks.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen said that while authorities cannot conclude who is behind the recent drone sightings in Denmark, “We can conclude that at least there are mainly countries that pose a threat to Europe’s safety.
The Kremlin has previously denied any involvement in the sighting of the drone.
Denmark later banned all civil drone flights in the airspace as it prepared to hold a European leaders summit in Copenhagen this week to discuss the fight against Russia and support for Ukraine to enhance Europe’s security.
The European summit was expected to discuss several measures aimed at protecting the continent’s skies, including major “drone wall” initiatives.
This initiative is a layered network of detection and interception systems built on the anti-drone capabilities of individual EU members rather than physical walls.
