Germany's Munich Airport shut after drone sightings; 17 flights grounded

Munich [Germany], October 3 : Munich Airport in Germany was closed for almost seven hours last night after several drones were sighted in its airspace, the latest European aviation hub to shutter over unexplained drone flights, CNN reported.

The airport on Thursday said that a total of 17 flights were grounded shortly after 10 pm (local time) affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. In addition, 15 arriving flights were diverted to the German cities of Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Frankfurt, as well as Vienna in neighbouring Austria, the statement said.

Flight tracking website Flightradar showed several planes circling the airport at around 11pm local time before heading to other destinations.

The airport reopened at 5 am local time when flight arrivals and departures were deemed safe, a call handler fielding passenger enquiries told CNN.

Poland briefly closed part of its airspace southeast of the capital, Warsaw, on Sunday, citing "unplanned military activity," as Russia launched a new wave of strikes on Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported. The Polish armed forces said aircraft were scrambled to ensure the security of its skies. It described the actions as preventive and aimed at securing airspace and protecting citizens.

As per CNN, a spate of sightings over several airports in Denmark last week saw tens of thousands of passengers impacted. Denmark later banned all civil drone flights in its airspace as it prepared to host a summit of European leaders in Copenhagen this week to discuss support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, and bolstering European security.

Russia has denied any involvement in the drone sightings.

Meanwhile, Russina President Putin addressing a summit in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Thursday dismissed suggestions he ordered drones to Denmark. "I won't do it again. I won't do it again - not to France or Denmark or Copenhagen", Putin said.

Earlier this month, Polish and NATO forces intercepted Russian drones that entered Polish airspace, marking their first direct military engagement with Moscow since the 2022 invasion, Al Jazeera reported.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned NATO and the European Union that "any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, Lavrov said Moscow had no intention of attacking the West but was prepared to respond if provoked.

Meanwhile, NATO announced on Saturday that it is upgrading its mission in the Baltic Sea with an air defence frigate and other assets, including "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms," in response to drone incursions in Denmark.

According to Al Jazeera, unidentified drones were seen near Danish military installations overnight on Saturday, prompting authorities to label the incidents as hybrid attacks.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it was "the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date. "Copenhagen airport, the busiest in the Nordic region, was forced to close temporarily, while five smaller Danish airports, both civilian and military, were also shut for short periods in the following days. In neighbouring Norway, police confirmed they were investigating possible drone sightings near Oerland air force base, the central hub for the country's F-35 jets.

In Germany, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said a drone "swarm" was spotted over Schleswig-Holstein, adding that he wants to revise air safety laws to allow the armed forces to shoot down drones, Al Jazeera reported.

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