Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Munich Airport Reopens After Nighttime Drone Sightings Halt Flights

The shutdown highlights gaps in detection that are prompting renewed calls to strengthen counter-drone powers.

Overview

  • Air traffic control closed both runways around 10:30 p.m. after police-confirmed sightings above the airfield and earlier reports nearby.
  • Seventeen departures were canceled and 15 arrivals diverted, leaving roughly 3,000 travelers stranded overnight with field beds set up in terminals.
  • State and federal police, including a helicopter, searched the area but found no devices or operators.
  • Investigators have not determined how many drones were involved or what type they were as operations resumed Friday morning.
  • The incident fits a wider pattern of unexplained overflights in northern Germany, Denmark and Norway that has spurred officials to pursue stronger detection systems, legal reforms and a national drone-defense center.