Munich Airport halts flights after drone sightings, 17 grounded

Munich Airport suspended operations late on Oct. 2 after multiple drone sightings in the vicinity, grounding 17 departing flights and affecting nearly 3,000 passengers, airport officials said. German air traffic control moved to restrict and then suspend flights shortly after 10 p.m. local time, and 15 incoming services were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Vienna.

Airport authorities did not disclose how many drones were observed. A call handler responding to passenger inquiries said, "Everything is under control and the airport is due to reopen at 5 a.m." Some flights remained delayed or awaiting clearance while others were canceled outright as the suspension remained in place overnight.

The disruption at Munich, a major European hub and the primary base for the carrier Lufthansa, follows a series of similar incidents across the region. In recent weeks several airports, including facilities in Denmark and Norway, temporarily halted operations after unexplained drone activity. Danish authorities temporarily banned civil drone flights earlier this month ahead of a leaders summit after widespread sightings caused major travel disruption. There have also been...