Drone Activity Halts Flights at Munich Airport
Munich,germany – All flights at Munich Airport were suspended for several hours Thursday evening after drone sightings prompted a security alert. The first reports came in at 9:30 PM local time, with police and airport officials confirming the presence of a drone over the airfield an hour later. Due to darkness, detailed facts about the drone could not instantly be obtained, leading to the precautionary shutdown of operations at 10:30 PM.
The disruption impacted approximately 3,000 passengers,with 15 incoming flights diverted to airports in Stuttgart,Nuremberg,Vienna,and Frankfurt. Seventeen departing flights were cancelled. Authorities provided stranded passengers with camp beds, food, and drinks overnight at the airport. The incident follows a series of similar alerts at airports across Europe, highlighting growing concerns about the potential security risks posed by unauthorized drone activity.
Police deployed helicopters to patrol the area around the airport while investigating the source of the drone threat. As of Friday, the identity of the operator remains unknown. Airport officials anticipate resuming flights later in the day, pending a full security assessment.
This incident occurs amid heightened vigilance regarding critical infrastructure security in Germany. Last week,authorities launched an investigation into potential threats targeting key facilities,including a power plant in Kiel,Schleswig-Holstein.
moreover, increased security measures were implemented across Denmark and Norway last week, with Denmark requesting assistance from neighboring countries to secure the European Union Government and Presidents’ Summit held on October 1-2. The Baltic countries were also on alert during this period.
Visuals for this report were provided by the associated Press.
