Munich Airport in Germany reopened on Saturday morning after an abrupt closure due to drone sightings, marking the second such incident within a 24-hour period.
The first disruption occurred late Thursday when air traffic control suspended operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and impacting nearly 3,000 travelers.
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder stated, “Our police must have the power to shoot down drones,” emphasizing the need for an emergency law to protect German airspace.
Following the initial reopening on Friday morning, more drone sightings resulted in additional flight cancellations and rerouting just hours later, causing travelers to spend another night at the airport. On the second night, authorities distributed camp beds to those stranded.
This incident affected about 6,500 passengers, according to officials. After halting operations on both runways, flights began to gradually resume on Saturday morning, although delays were anticipated throughout the day.
The German intelligence agency has not verified the potential Russian connection to the drone sightings, which follow a pattern of incidents attributed to Kremlin activities that have raised concerns across Europe.
In a broader context, recent drone sightings led to the closure of airports in Denmark and Norway, with suspicions pointing to Russia as part of a hybrid warfare strategy against the West.
Thomas Afrenkiel, head of the Danish military intelligence agency, remarked on Russia’s aggressive use of military means to exert pressure without engaging in direct conflict.
Furthermore, Russian President Vladimir Putin downplayed European reactions to the drone sightings, likening them to hysteria over UFOs during comments at a discussion club in Sochi, joking, “I won’t do that anymore,” in reference to sending drones over Denmark and other nations.
