Munich airport reopens after drone sightings force closure
Baku, October 4, AZERTAC
Germany's Munich airport has reopened after several drone sightings forced it to close and cancel more than a dozen flights on Thursday night, according to BBC News.
At least 17 flights were grounded in Munich, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers, while the airport said it diverted a further 15 flights to nearby cities.
On Friday, a spokesperson for German flag carrier Lufthansa said "flight operations have since resumed according to schedule".
There was no immediate confirmation of where the drones had come from. Several airports across Europe have closed down in recent weeks because of unidentified drones.
Munich airport alerted authorities after the drones were detected.
Departing flights were "suspended", the airport said, and it closed two hours ahead of its usual midnight to 05:00 curfew.
Air traffic control redirected flights that were due to land in Munich to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt.
"Nineteen Lufthansa flights were affected, either cancelled or re-routed, because of the the airport suspension," the spokesperson said.
Because it was dark, no information on the type, size or origins of the drones was confirmed, Federal Police spokesperson Stefan Bayer told the Bild Newspaper. The drones were first seen at 21:30 local time (19:30 GMT), and then again an hour later, police said.
The BBC has contacted Germany's federal police.
Meanwhile authorities in Belgium are investigating sightings of 15 drones, which were seen above the Elsenborn military site near the German border, Belgian media reports.
After the sighting, the drones reportedly flew from Belgium to Germany, where they were also observed by the police in the small German town of Düren.
It is not yet clear where the drones originated or who operated them.
Recent drone sightings across the European Union prompted a leaders' summit in Copenhagen this week.
20 Russian drones crossed into Poland and Russian MiG-31 jets entered Estonian airspace in separate recent incidents.
Copenhagen and Oslo airports were forced to close after unidentified drones were spotted near airport and military airspaces.
Russia has denied any involvement, while Danish authorities say there was no evidence Moscow was involved.
Speaking to a summit in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin laughed off 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.
Thousands of passengers were stranded at Munich overnight.
"Camp beds were set up, and blankets, drinks, and snacks were provided," the airport said.
The city is currently hosting the annual Oktoberfest festival, which is due to end on 5 October. It attracts more than six million people a year, according to the official website.
The annual beer festival had already closed for half a day on Wednesday after a bomb scare.
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