Munich Airport Temporarily Closed After Drone Sightings, 3,000 Affected

UPDATE: Munich Airport in Germany is facing significant disruption as it was forced to close temporarily following a surge of drone sightings just after 10 p.m. local time on July 13, 2023. This urgent situation has grounded a total of 17 flights and impacted nearly 3,000 passengers, as confirmed by airport officials.

Authorities report that in addition to the grounded flights, 15 arriving flights were diverted to other cities including Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Vienna in neighboring Austria. This alarming incident adds Munich to the growing list of European airports recently affected by drone activity, raising concerns about passenger safety and air travel logistics.

Munich Airport, a major hub in Bavaria, served nearly 20 million passengers in the first half of this year, making this disruption particularly impactful for travelers. The airport is currently working to assess the situation and ensure safety protocols are in place to resume operations.

The drone sightings come just days after a similar situation in Denmark, where multiple airports were closed due to drone activity, affecting tens of thousands of passengers. In response, Denmark has now banned all civil drone flights in its airspace as it prepares for an upcoming summit of European leaders in Copenhagen.

As this is a developing story, officials are expected to provide further updates on the situation at Munich Airport. Travelers and those planning to fly should stay tuned for the latest information and consider alternate arrangements.

This incident underscores the growing challenges airports face with unauthorized drone activity, prompting urgent discussions on regulations and safety measures moving forward. More updates will follow as authorities work to resolve the situation.