Drones detected at Munich airport force flight cancellations

BarcelonaDrone sightings at Munich Airport in Germany on Friday night led to the cancellation and diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded. However, the airport reopened this morning and flights were able to resume. German authorities explained this Friday that they are investigating the incident, according to Reuters.

Munich Airport explained that several drones were seen late Thursday night, forcing air traffic control to suspend operations. In total, 17 flights were canceled, affecting 3,000 passengers, who were provided with cots, blankets, and food. Another 15 flights arriving at the time were diverted to other locations in the region. German authorities explain that due to the pitch black night, the size and type of the drones could not be determined.

This Friday is German Reunification Day, a public holiday in the country. The disruption at Munich airport added to a tense week for the city after its popular Oktoberfest was temporarily shut down due to a bomb threat and the separate discovery of explosives at a residential building in the north of the city.

This is llatest in a series of similar incidents that have shaken European aviation, and have raised concerns about possible hybrid attacks against Ukraine's European allies, possibly directed by Russia. Other airspace intrusions last week temporarily closed airports in Denmark and Norway, prompting European Union leaders at a Copenhagen summit to back plans to bolster the bloc's defenses with anti-drone measures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin joked about the incidents at a public event on Thursday, jokingly saying that he would no longer fly drones over Denmark. But officially, the Kremlin has denied responsibility for the incidents. Putin denounced the "European hysteria" that foresees an imminent war with Russia as absurd.