Germany’s Munich airport has reopened after authorities shut it down the previous night for the second time in less than 24 hours after more suspected drone sightings, as fears heighten across Europe that Russia’s war in Ukraine could spill over across the continent.
The airport, one of Germany’s largest, reopened gradually from 7am local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday.
Forty-six departures from the airport had to be cancelled or delayed until Saturday, affecting 6,500 passengers.
Munich airport said that on Friday, “from 9:30 pm air traffic was restricted and then cancelled due to drone sightings”, meaning 23 incoming flights were diverted and 12 bound for Munich were cancelled, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded.
A police spokesman told the AFP news agency that there were “two simultaneous confirmed drone sightings by police patrols just before 11pm around the north and south runways”.
“The drones immediately moved away, before they could be identified,” he added.
Authorities were not immediately able to provide any information about who was responsible for the overflights.
Airports in Denmark, Norway and Poland have recently suspended flights due to unidentified drones, while Romania and Estonia have pointed the finger at Russia for drone incursions on their territory. Drones were also spotted overnight in Belgium above a military base.
Some experts have noted, however, that anybody with drones could be behind them.
Earlier on Friday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told newspaper Bild that the first night’s incident was a “wake-up call” on the threat from drones, adding that “more financing and research” on the issue was urgently needed at the national and European levels.
The disruptions came as the country celebrated German Unity Day on Friday – a national holiday – and as Munich geared up for the final weekend of Oktoberfest.
The annual beer gala and fun fair had already closed for half a day on Wednesday after a bomb scare.
The German government is expected on Wednesday to sign off on plans for a change in the law to let the army shoot drones down if necessary.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Europe on Thursday that the recent drone incursions showed Moscow was looking to “escalate” its aggression.
Germany is on high alert, saying a swarm of them had flown over the country last week, including over military and industrial sites.
Denmark also raised the alarm, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterating last week that only one country “poses a threat to Europe’s security – and that’s Russia”.
Moscow said it “firmly rejects” any suggestion of involvement, with Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing Europe of stoking “hysteria” to justify rising military spending.
Putin, speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Thursday, joked about European claims that Russian drones had invaded NATO airspace, saying that he promised he would not do it again, in the case of Denmark, and that he did not have drones that could fly all the way to Portugal’s capital, Lisbon.
“I will not. I will not [send] any more drones, neither to France nor to Denmark, Copenhagen. Where else do they fly to?” Putin quipped.
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