Germany's Munich airport reopened on 3 October after shutting overnight due to drone sightings that forced the cancellation or diversion of dozens of flights and heightened concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in Europe.
As operations resumed early on Friday morning, a Reuters witness saw passengers checking in for a flight to Varna in Bulgaria, and the departure board showed only a few flights had been cancelled.
The airport said several drone sightings late on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers, who 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. But because it was dark, the size and types of the drones could not be determined, he added.
The disruption in Munich is the latest in a string of similar drone incidents that have rattled European aviation and raised broader security concerns, coming after airspace intrusions 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 defences with anti-drone measures.
"Europe must be able to defend itself," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting.
Authorities have not publicly blamed a specific actor for the Munich drone incident, but some European officials have suggested Russia is behind other recent airspace violations.
Russia has previously denied involvement in the drone activity.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 8th of May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Latvian authorities said two drones entered NATO member Latvia from Russian territory and crashed on Thursday morning, with officials linking them to Ukraine’s wider drone operations against targets in Russia.
Russia has restricted some mobile internet services ahead of Victory Day on Saturday (9 May), citing security concerns. The annual celebrations, marking victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, have been scaled back amid fears of attacks from Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday (4 May) that meteorological monitoring equipment at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine had been damaged by a drone.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
British paratroopers and military medics have been deployed to Tristan da Cunha after a suspected hantavirus case was confirmed, as first evacuation flights carrying passengers from the stricken MV Hondius cruise ship left Tenerife for Madrid and Paris.
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Indonesian rescue teams have located two Singaporeans who went missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday (8 May) on the island of Halmahera, though authorities say it remains unclear whether they are alive.
The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) on Friday (8 May), following an order from President Donald Trump. U.S. officials described as a push for “unprecedented transparency”.
China’s leading chipmakers are funnelling unprecedented sums into research and development as Beijing accelerates efforts to reduce reliance on foreign technology amid intensifying U.S. export restrictions.
Centre-right leader Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister on Saturday, propelled into office on promises of change after years of economic stagnation and strained ties with key allies under his predecessor Viktor Orbán.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has warned that France risks undermining the self-determination rights of the Kanak Indigenous People in New Caledonia amid proposed political and constitutional reforms.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to carry on as leader on Friday (8 May) after his ruling Labour Party suffered heavy losses in local elections. Labour lost hundreds of councillors across the country, as some figures in the party said he should stand down.
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