Munich Airport closed: The Munich Airport in Germany was forced to undergo a temporary closure on Thursday night after a wave of drone sightings, becoming the latest European aviation hub to shut down over unexplained drone spotting.
According to German air traffic control, several flight operations were disrupted, affecting thousands of passengers at the country’s second-biggest aviation hub.
As many as 17 flights could not depart as they were grounded, while 15 incoming flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, an official statement said.
Nearly 3,000 passengers have been affected due to the sudden shutdown of the Munich Airport.
According to a report by CNN, the Munich Airport is scheduled to reopen at 5 am, as some flights are still awaiting takeoff.
“Some flights are still waiting to take off, others have been cancelled. Everything is under control and the airport is due to reopen,” the news outlet reported quoting a call handler fielding passenger enquiries.
The Munich Airport, located in Bavaria, southern Germany, is a hub for German flagship airline Lufthansa.
According to the statement, German air traffic control officials restricted flight operations at Munich airport from 10:18 pm (2018 GMT) on Thursday and later suspended them altogether due to several drone sightings.
Munich was already placed on edge this week when its popular Oktoberfest was closed temporarily due to a bomb threat and the discovery of explosives in a residential building in the city’s north.
Munich airport latest closure victim
Munich Airport became the latest European airport to fall victim of closure due to drone sightings, with officials across the countries suspecting a Russian angle to the incidents.
Recently, airports in major European hubs, including Copenhagen and Oslo, were forced to shut down or face large-scale diversions due to drone incidents.
The recent incidents prompted officials to warn of sophisticated operators and broader security implications. A spate of aerial incursions has sparked talks in the European Union around building a “drone wall.”
Denmark has fallen just short of who it believes is responsible for the drone incident in its airspace last week. However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has suggested it could be Russia.
The European Union on Wednesday backed plans of its leaders to strengthen their efforts to ensure defence against Russian drones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin joked on Thursday that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents.