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Munich Airport reopened on Saturday morning (October 4) after a second closure in less than 24 hours due to drone sightings. The airport, one of Germany's largest, resumed operations gradually starting at 7 a.m. local time, although planes typically begin taking off at 5 a.m. The closures, attributed to mysterious drone overflights, are part of a series of incidents affecting European Union airspace.
Federal police confirmed two drone sightings near the airport's north and south runways shortly before 11 p.m. on Friday. The drones flew away before identification was possible. This incident affected at least 6,500 passengers, following a previous closure that impacted nearly 3,000 passengers.
The airport was also forced to close down on Thursday night, due to drone sightings in the area.
The Munich Airport press release noted that the state and federal police conducted extensive search operations but have yet to identify the perpetrators. Helicopters were deployed to monitor the airspace, and 17 flights were canceled, with 15 diversions to other airports like Stuttgart and Frankfurt.