Germany's Munich airport Shuts Down After Unmanned Aircraft Sighted Nearby
The airport in Munich has cancelled several aircraft departures after unmanned aerial vehicles were spotted close to its airspace.
At least 17 flights were cancelled in the city, affecting around 3,000 passengers.
The airport stated it redirected a further 15 flights to other urban centers.
No quick verification was available of the drones' origin. A number of airports throughout Europe have closed down in the last couple of weeks due to unidentified drones.
Munich airport alerted officials after the unmanned vehicles were identified.
Flights departing from the airport have been "halted", per the airport.
Air traffic control rerouted aircraft that were due to land in the city to Stuttgart.
Due to darkness, little detail on the type, scale or provenance of the drones was verified, one national police representative stated to a media outlet. The unmanned aerial vehicles were initially spotted at 9:30 PM in the local timezone (19:30 GMT), and then once more an hour after, authorities stated.
Latest drone sightings in the European Union led to a leaders' summit in the Danish capital this week.
20 from Russia drones flew into Polish airspace and Russia's military planes invaded Estonian airspace in different latest events.
Copenhagen's and Oslo airports were compelled to shut down subsequent to unknown drones were sighted in the vicinity of aviation and military airspaces.
Russia has denied any role, while Danish authorities state there was insufficient indication Russia was connected.
Addressing at a meeting in the Black Sea resort city of the city, Russian President Putin made light of claims he ordered unmanned aircraft to Denmark.
"It won't happen again. I won't do it again - not to France or the Danes or Copenhagen Putin said.
Thousands of passengers were stranded at Munich airport during the night.
"Temporary beds were set up, and coverings, beverages, and light food were offered" airport management said.
Munich is at the moment holding the annual Oktoberfest festival, which is set to finish on October 5. The event attracts above 6 million attendees a annually, according to the official website.
