Munich Airport Closes Due to Nearby Drone Activity
Munich Airport faced disruptions due to drone activity detected nearby, prompting urgent action from authorities. The airport announced flight suspensions and closed two hours earlier than usual, coinciding with its midnight to 05:00 curfew.
Impact on Flights
As a result of the airport closure, air traffic control rerouted flights scheduled to land in Munich. These flights were redirected to alternative airports, including:
- Stuttgart
- Nuremberg
- Vienna
- Frankfurt
In total, nineteen Lufthansa flights were either canceled or diverted due to the situation, according to an airport spokesperson.
Drone Activity Details
The first sighting of the drones occurred at 21:30 local time. Authorities verified another sighting an hour later. However, details about the drones—such as their size and origin—remained unconfirmed due to nighttime conditions. Stefan Bayer, a spokesperson for Federal Police, provided this information to the media.
Broader Context of Drone Incidents
This incident in Munich occurred amidst rising concerns about drone activity across the European Union. A recent leaders’ summit held in Copenhagen addressed these sightings, which have raised security alarms.
Notably, there were also reports of twenty Russian drones entering Polish airspace. Additionally, Russian MiG-31 jets breached Estonian airspace in unrelated occurrences.
Other airports, including those in Copenhagen and Oslo, had to close operations due to unidentified drone sightings near military and public airspace. Danish officials noted no evidence linking these incidents to Russia, despite ongoing tensions.
Response from Russian Authorities
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the situation during a summit in Sochi. He dismissed allegations tying his government to drone operations targeting Denmark or other European nations, asserting with humor that he would not engage in such actions again.
As security measures continue to be evaluated, airports across Europe are on alert for similar incidents. Authorities are collaborating to ensure the safety of air travel as the situation develops.
