Munich Airport in Germany was forced to close for seven hours due to the presence of several drones. A total of 17 flights were cancelled shortly after 10pm, affecting around 3,000 passengers. In addition, 15 flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Frankfurt, and to Vienna in neighbouring Austria.
The presence of the first drones was reported by witnesses at around 9:30 p.m. About an hour later, the drones were seen again over the airport area, an incident that was also confirmed by Federal Police spokesman Stefan Bayer. However, due to darkness, information on the type or size of the aircraft could not be given.
The airport reopened at 5 a.m. local time, when flight arrivals and departures were deemed safe, a call center worker answering passenger questions told CNN.
Munich becomes the latest European airport to close after drones were spotted nearby. 20 Russian drones crossed into Poland and Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace recently.
Copenhagen and Oslo airports were also forced to close due to the presence of several drones. Russia has denied any involvement, while Danish authorities say there is no evidence that Moscow was involved.
Because of these incidents, which the Europeans believe is a hybrid war against them launched by Russia, they have taken the initiative of the "wall" against drones, and it will not be a physical wall, but a network of detection and interception systems.