Munich airport reopens after drone sightings closure 

Munich airport was forced to shut down last night due to “several” drone sightings.

 

German air traffic control restricted flight operations from 10.18pm and later suspended them altogether, the airport confirmed.

 

Almost 3,000 passengers were left stranded as 17 departing flights had to be grounded.

 

A further 15 inbound flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt.

 

The airport resumed operations at 5am today (Friday).

 

An updated statement said: “Flight operations have been running normally again since operations resumed at 5.00am on October 3. 

 

“Affected passengers have been rebooked or their flights will be rescheduled during the course of the day.”

 

The airport previous noted that it “immediately took care of passengers in the terminals,” due to the closure last night.  

 

“Camp beds were set up, and blankets, drinks, and snacks were provided.” 

 

The Bavarian airport, gateway to Oktoberfest events this month, added: “When a drone is sighted, the safety of travellers is the top priority. 

 

“Reporting chains between air traffic control, the airport, and police authorities have been established for years. 

 

“It is important to emphasise that the detection and defence against drones are sovereign tasks and are the responsibility of the federal and state police.”

 

The source of the drones remained unclear today. 

 

Airports in Denmark and Norway have closed down in recent weeks because of unidentified drones.