Germany's Munich Airport Re-opens After It's Closed Due To Drone Sighting

JAKARTA - Munich Airport, M\"unchen, Germany, reopened on Friday after being closed overnight due to the appearance of a drone forcing the cancellation or diversion of dozens of flights ahead of the national holiday.

When the operation returned to normal on Friday, October 3, a Reuters witness saw passengers checking in for flights to Varna in Bulgaria.

Departure boards showed only a few flights were canceled. A flight from Bangkok was the first flight to land at around 05.25 local time, according to the airport's website.

The airport said several drone sightings on Thursday night had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, resulting in the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting the journey of nearly 3,000 passengers, which have provided beds, blankets and food.

A total of 15 flights that arrived were diverted to other cities including Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt, the airport said.

The drones were seen late at night above the airport, a police spokesman told the Bild newspaper. However, as it was already dark, the size and type of drone was uncertain, he added. The police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Disruption in Munich is the latest incident of a series of similar drone incidents that have rocked the European aviation world and raised wider security concerns. The incident came after airspace intrusions that led to the temporary closure of airports in Denmark and Norway last week.

Munich Airport reopened after drone sightings stopped flights.

The incident sparked a sharp response from EU leaders, who supported plans at a summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday to strengthen the bloc's defenses with anti-drone measures.

"Europe must be able to defend itself," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen after the meeting.

Authorities have not publicly blamed certain actors for the drone incident in Munich, but some European officials suspect Russia was behind other airspace breaches recently.

"Russia is trying to test us. However, Russia is also trying to spread divisions and anxiety in our society," said European Commission Chair Ursula von der Leyen.