Munich airport begins slow reopening after drone sightings

MUNICH - Munich airport said on Oct 4 it was resuming flights from 7am local time, with delays expected through the day, hours after both runways were closed for the second time in less than 24 hours due to a drone sighting.

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The airport advised travellers to check with their airlines as it prepared for the restart, two hours later than originally scheduled, after the Oct 3 evening closure.

Dozens of flights had been diverted or cancelled, stranding some 6,500 passengers, the authorities said.

Airports in Denmark, Norway and Poland recently suspended flights due to unidentified drones, while Romania and Estonia have pointed the finger at Russia, which has brushed off the allegations.

The authorities have yet to attribute the Oct 2 or Oct 3 drone sightings to a specific actor.

"German air traffic control restricted flight operations at Munich airport as a precautionary measure due to unconfirmed drone sightings and suspended them until further notice," a statement on the airport website read.

In a later update, the airport said 23 flights were diverted, and 12 flights to Munich and 48 departures cancelled or postponed.

A police spokesman told AFP that there were "two simultaneous confirmed drone sightings by police patrols just before 11pm around the north and south runways".

"The drones immediately moved away before they could be identified," he added.