Alleged drones prompt another closure of Munich airport within 24 hours

Munich airport in Germany has suspended flights for the second occasion within 24 hours, following additional unverified drone sightings.

In a notice released on Friday evening, the airport indicated that flights were halted at 21:30 local time (20:30 GMT), impacting around 6,500 passengers.

Previously, a minimum of 17 flights were also grounded in Munich on Thursday evening due to numerous drone sightings in the adjacent airspace.

This is the latest incident in a series of drone-related occurrences that have disrupted air travel across Europe in recent weeks.

On Thursday, authorities in Belgium were also probing reports of 15 drones witnessed over the Elsenborn military installation close to the German border as reported by Belgian media.

Post sighting, the drones allegedly traveled from Belgium into Germany, where they were likewise detected by law enforcement in the small German town of Düren.

Officials have yet to determine the origin of the drones or the identity of those operating them.

Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has expressed his intent to address anti-drone defense strategies during a meeting of European interior ministers on Saturday, which initially was meant to be a migration summit.

Earlier on Friday, the minister also pledged to expedite proposed laws that would facilitate the police’s requests for military assistance to take down drones.

Recent drone appearances across the EU have led to a summit of leaders in Copenhagen this week.

Numerous EU member nations have endorsed plans for a multi-tiered “drone wall” designed to swiftly detect, track, and eliminate Russian drones.

Twenty Russian drones breached into Poland, and Russian MiG-31 aircraft intruded into Estonian airspace in separate recent incidents.

Airports in Copenhagen and Oslo were compelled to shut down after unidentified drones were sighted near airport and military airspaces.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted prior to the summit that incursions into airspace were worsening, asserting it was “reasonable to assume the drones are coming from Russia”.

Russia has rejected any connection, while Danish officials report no evidence tying Moscow to the incidents.

Addressing a summit in Sochi’s Black Sea resort on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed claims that he had ordered drones to Denmark.

“I won’t do it again. I won’t do it again – not to France or Denmark or Copenhagen,” Putin commented.