Munich Airport open again after drone-enforced closure

A sign prohibiting drones is seen at Munich Airport (Enrique Kaczor/dpa via AP/PA)

Munich Airport reopened on Saturday after German authorities shut it down the night before for the second time in less than 24 hours after more suspected drone sightings.

The closures are the latest after mysterious drone overflights in the airspace of European Union (EU) member countries.

The airport, one of Germany’s largest, reopened gradually, beginning at 7am local time on Saturday. Planes typically begin taking off at 5am.

Delays were expected to continue throughout Saturday.

At least 6,500 passengers were impacted by the overnight closure Friday into Saturday, the airport said.

Screens at Munich Airport show diverted and cancelled flights (Enrique Kaczor/dpa via AP/PA)

The previous closure, Thursday night into Friday, affected almost 3,000 passengers.

Authorities were not immediately able to provide any information about who was responsible for the overflights.

The incident was the latest in a series of incidents of mysterious drone sightings over airports as well as other critical infrastructure sites in several EU member countries. Drones also were spotted overnight in Belgium above a military base.

A drone incident in Norwegian capital Oslo, which is a Nato member but not part of the EU, also affected flights late last month.

It was not immediately clear who has been behind the flyovers.

European authorities have expressed concerns that they are being carried out by Russia, though some experts have noted that anybody with drones could be behind them.

Russian authorities have rejected claims of involvement, including in recent drone incidents in Denmark.

Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s interior minister, said he and some European counterparts would discuss the drone incursions and a “drone detection and defence plan” at a meeting this weekend in Munich.

“We are in a race between drone threat and drone defence. We want to and must win this race,” he said in the western city of Saarbrucken, where he joined German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron at a ceremony to mark the 35th anniversary of Germany’s reunification.