Munich Airport reopened Friday evening following its second suspension of flights in 24 hours due to suspected drone activity, leaving roughly 6,500 passengers stranded. Operations were halted at 21:30 local time (20:30 GMT), after multiple drone sightings in the surrounding airspace.
The previous evening, at least 17 flights were grounded under similar circumstances, marking the latest disruption in a spate of drone incidents affecting European airports and military sites in recent weeks. Passengers were advised to check flight statuses, as delays were expected to continue throughout the day.
Authorities remain unable to trace the origin of the drones, which were also spotted in neighboring Belgium near the Elsenborn military site before reportedly crossing into western Germany. Local police in Düren monitored the devices but could not identify their operators.
The uncertainty has prompted Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt to call for faster deployment of anti-drone defences and proposed legislation to allow police to request military intervention against unidentified drones. The incidents have fueled wider discussions at European summits, where leaders have debated multi-layered “drone walls” to detect, track, and neutralize unauthorized aerial devices.
The tensions are compounded by recent airspace incursions across the European Union, including Russian drones entering Polish airspace and MiG-31 jets briefly violating Estonian airspace. Copenhagen and Oslo airports also experienced temporary closures due to unexplained drone activity near civilian and military zones.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that such incursions are escalating, suggesting Russia could be involved, though Moscow has denied any role. At a summit in Sochi, President Vladimir Putin dismissed the claims, joking that he would not repeat drone operations over France, Denmark, or Copenhagen. As European authorities work to strengthen aerial security, Munich Airport remains on high alert, with passengers and airlines bracing for potential disruptions in the coming days.
Africa Digital News, New York
