Germany investigates after drone sightings shut Munich airport overnight
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German air traffic control officials restricted flight operations at Munich airport on Oct 2 from 10.18pm local time, and later suspended them altogether.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MUNICH – Drone sightings overnight at Germany’s Munich airport led to the cancellation and diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded, and the authorities said on Oct 3 they were investigating the incident.
The disruption is the latest in a series of similar incidents that have rattled European aviation, raising concerns about deniable hybrid attacks on Ukraine’s European allies, possibly directed by Russia.
As operations resumed early on the morning of Oct 3, a Reuters witness saw passengers checking in for a flight to Varna in Bulgaria, and the departure board showed only a few flights had been cancelled.
A flight from Bangkok was the first of the day to land at around 5.25am local time (11.25am Singapore time), according to the airport’s website.
The airport said several drone sightings late on Oct 2 had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers, who were provided with camp beds, blankets and food.
Another 15 arriving flights were diverted around the region.
Public broadcaster BR said local and national police were investigating the incident.
The drones were sighted in the late evening above the airport, a police spokesman told newspaper Bild. But because it was dark, the size and types of the drones could not be determined, he added.
Police did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The drone incidents follow airspace intrusions last week that temporarily shut airports in Denmark and Norway, which led European Union leaders at a Copenhagen summit to back plans to bolster the bloc’s defences
“Europe must be able to defend itself,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting.
Her Defence Minister spoke on the morning of Oct 3 of a Russian “hybrid war against Nato and the West”.
The authorities have not publicly blamed anyone for the Munich drone incident, but some European officials have suggested Russia is behind other recent airspace violations.
“Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Oct 1.
Russian President Vladimir Putin joked on Oct 2 that he would not fly drones over Denmark any more, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents.
The airport disruption in Munich added to a tense week for the city after its popular Oktoberfest
Oct 3 is German Reunification Day, a public holiday. REUTERS
