Munich Airport resumed operations this Friday after several drone sightings on Thursday night forced the suspension of flights and the closure of the terminal. At least 17 flights were canceled, impacting nearly 3,000 passengers, while another 15 services were diverted to other cities.
During the suspension, takeoffs were halted, and the airport moved up its usual nightly closure—which runs from midnight to 05:00—by two hours. Aircraft scheduled to land in the Bavarian capital were redirected to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt.
Lufthansa Confirms Service Resumption
A spokesperson for Lufthansa, Germany’s flag carrier, stated that “flight operations have resumed as scheduled.” In total, 19 of the airline’s flights were affected, either through cancellations or diversions to other airports.
Authorities Investigate Origin of Drones
The German federal police reported that the drones were first sighted at 21:30 and again an hour later. However, due to the darkness, it was not possible to determine their type, size, or origin.
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The airport terminal immediately notified the authorities after detection. Stefan Bayer, a spokesperson for the Federal Police, told the Bild newspaper that there is currently no confirmation regarding the origin of the devices.
Similar Incidents in Europe
In parallel, Belgian media reported the presence of 15 drones over the Elsenborn military site, near the border with Germany. These devices were subsequently observed by police in the German town of Duren. Investigations are ongoing, and it has not been established who was operating them.
In recent weeks, several European airports, including those in Copenhagen and Oslo, have also had to interrupt their operations following the detection of unidentified drones.
Furthermore, tensions escalated after 20 Russian drones crossed into Poland and MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace. Despite suspicions, Russia has denied any involvement. During a summit in Sochi, President Vladimir Putin even sarcastically commented on the accusations, joking: “I won’t do it again, I won’t do it again, not in France, not in Denmark, not in Copenhagen.”
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