Drone sighting shuts major European airport as thousands stranded

Passengers at Munich airport were left stranded after air traffic control was forced to suspend operations

Dozens of flights were cancelled or diverted at Munich airport overnight after drone sightings caused widespread disruption, leaving almost 3,000 passengers stranded on the eve of a national holiday.

Authorities confirmed on Friday that they are investigating the incident, which marks the latest in a series of similar events to plague European aviation.

These disruptions have fuelled concerns over potential “deniable hybrid attacks” targeting Ukraine’s European allies, with Russia being a suspected orchestrator. Despite the overnight chaos, airport operations had largely resumed by early Friday morning.

A witness at the scene observed passengers checking in for a flight to Varna, Bulgaria, with the departure board indicating only a handful of cancellations remained. The first flight of the day, arriving from Bangkok, touched down at approximately 5am (3.25am GMT), according to the airport’s website.

The airport said several drone sightings late on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disruption for nearly 3,000 passengers, who were provided with camp beds, blankets and food. Another 15 arriving flights were diverted around the region.

Public broadcaster BR said local and national police were investigating the incident.

The drones were sighted in the late evening above the airport, a police spokesperson told newspaper Bild. But because it was dark, the sizes and types of the drones could not be determined, he added. Police did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Police stationed outside Munich airport after drones were sighted (DPA/AP)

The drone incidents follow airspace intrusions last week that temporarily shut airports in Denmark and Norway, which led European Union leaders at a Copenhagen summit to back plans to bolster the bloc’s defences with anti-drone measures.

“Europe must be able to defend itself,” Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting. Her defence minister spoke on Friday morning of a Russian “hybrid war against Nato and the West”.

Authorities have not publicly blamed anyone for the Munich drone incident, but some European officials have suggested Russia was behind other recent airspace violations.

“Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin joked on Thursday that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents.

The airport disruption in Munich added to a tense week for the city after its popular Oktoberfest was closed temporarily due to a bomb threat and the separate discovery of explosives in a residential building in the city’s north.

Friday is German Reunification Day, a public holiday.