Munich Airport reopens after flights halted

MUNICH — Germany's Munich Airport reopened on Friday after shutting overnight due to drone sightings that forced the cancellation or diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday and heightened concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in Europe.

As operations resumed early on Friday morning, a Reuters witness observed passengers checking in for a flight to Varna in Bulgaria, and the departure board indicated that only a few flights had been canceled. A flight from Bangkok was the first of the day to land at around 5:25 am, according to the airport's website.

The airport reported that several drone sightings late on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, resulting in the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers. These passengers were provided with camp beds, blankets and food.

Another 15 arriving flights were diverted to other cities, including Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, the airport said.

The drones were sighted in the late evening above the airport, a police spokesman told newspaper Bild.

The disruption in Munich is the latest in a string of similar drone incidents that have rattled European aviation and raised broader security concerns, following airspace intrusions that temporarily shut airports in Denmark and Norway last week.

The incidents prompted a sharp response from European Union leaders, who backed plans at a summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday to bolster the bloc's defenses with anti-drone measures.

"Europe must be able to defend itself," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting.

Authorities have not blamed a specific actor for the Munich drone incident, but some European officials have accused Russia of recent airspace violations.

"Russia tries to test us," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents.

As tensions between Moscow and Europe escalate, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that European countries are doing everything in their power to encourage Kyiv to continue the conflict.

"From our perspective, the key factor is the stance of European countries; they are sparing no effort to encourage the Kyiv regime to keep fighting, and by doing so, they are effectively preventing the Kyiv regime from engaging in negotiations," Peskov said, adding that Europe's role in escalating the situation with Russia has been maximized.

He noted that Kyiv would have acted differently if it had not been emboldened by Europe.

"They (European countries) are trying to portray Russia as an evil force. That is why they plan to drastically increase their military spending," Peskov emphasized.

Agencies—Xinhua