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Flights at Munich Airport resumed Friday morning after several drone sightings forced Germany’s second-busiest hub to suspend operations overnight, grounding or diverting more than 30 flights and stranding nearly 3,000 passengers.
German air traffic control (DFS) halted all flights late Thursday after multiple reports of drones near the airport. Operations restarted around 5:50 a.m. (0350 GMT), with Lufthansa confirming that services were back on schedule.
The closure grounded 17 departing flights and diverted 15 incoming aircraft to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, the airport said. Lufthansa reported that 19 of its flights were either canceled or rerouted.
Police said drones were spotted around 7:30 p.m. GMT Thursday and again about an hour later, prompting the shutdown of both runways for an hour. A search was launched to trace the origin of the drones, though authorities gave no details on their type or number. Police helicopters were dispatched but found no confirmed targets.
The airport provided camp beds, blankets, snacks and drinks for stranded passengers. “Safety is always the top priority,” the airport said, noting that drone defense is a federal and state police responsibility.
The disruption came ahead of German Unity Day, a national holiday, and the final weekend of Munich’s Oktoberfest, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors daily. The beer festival had already been forced to close for half a day Wednesday following a bomb threat.
The incident also follows a series of drone incursions that have disrupted airspace across Europe in recent weeks. Airports in Denmark, Norway and Poland have been forced to suspend flights, while Romania and Estonia have accused Russia of drone violations.
Germany has also reported swarms of drones over military and industrial sites. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Berlin must “find new responses to this hybrid threat,” suggesting measures could include shooting drones down.
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European leaders have linked the incidents to Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said last week that “only one country poses a threat to Europe’s security — and that’s Russia.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Thursday that the incursions showed Moscow was looking to “escalate” aggression beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Russia has denied involvement, with President Vladimir Putin accusing Europe of fueling “hysteria” to justify rising defense spending.
European Union leaders met in Copenhagen this week to discuss building a “drone wall” to strengthen air defenses. Denmark has accepted Swedish anti-drone technology for protection and confirmed that the United States will provide additional defenses. NATO said it has increased surveillance and vigilance in the Baltic region.
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