Munich's Airport Suspends Operations for Second Occasion in 24 Hours Due to Alleged Drone Observations
Germany's Munich air hub has stopped air traffic for the second time in 24 hours, following additional unconfirmed UAV incidents.
In a communication on Friday evening, the airport authority stated that operations were halted at 9:30 PM local (GMT evening), impacting nearly thousands of travelers.
At least 17 planes were also canceled in the city on Thursday evening due to multiple drone reports in nearby airspace.
It's the latest in a sequence of incidents involving unmanned aircraft that have interrupted flight operations in European nations in the last several weeks.
European Agencies Investigate Unmanned Sightings
Agencies in Belgium on that day were also looking into observations of 15 unmanned aircraft, which were spotted above the Elsenborn military site close to the border with Germany.
Post-incident, the aircraft reportedly flew from that nation to the German side, where they were also spotted by police in the small German town of that location.
Leaders have been unable to determine where the drones came from or who piloted them.
Government Measures and Regulations
Germany's Senior Official the minister has said he will raise the topic of counter-UAV measures at a conference of European home affairs officials, which was first scheduled as a migration summit.
Previously that day, the leader also committed to accelerate proposed laws allowing it more straightforward for the law enforcement to request the military to disable UAVs.
EU Leaders Address Drone Challenge
Recent drone sightings across the continent prompted a leaders' summit in Copenhagen this week.
A number of participating countries have backed plans for a extensive "defense system" to quickly spot, then monitor and destroy Russian UAVs.
20 foreign UAVs crossed into that nation and suspected MiG-31 jets entered Baltic airspace in different new occurrences.
Copenhagen and Oslo terminals were forced to close after unrecognized drones were spotted near aviation and military flight zones.
The nation's leader the figure remarked prior to the meeting that breaches were increasing and that it was "reasonable to presume the UAVs are launched by that nation."
Moscow has rejected any involvement, while Scandinavian leaders say there was insufficient indication Moscow was connected.
Talking at a conference in the Black Sea resort city of the city on that day, the leader Putin laughed off suggestions he directed drones to that country.
"No repeat occurrences. I won't do it again - not to that nation or that country or Copenhagen," the president stated.
