Munich airport has had to suspend operations this Thursday night after detecting the presence of several drones in its airspace. The closure, which began at 10:18 p.m., has forced to cancel 17 flights and to divert another 15 to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, a measure that has affected some 3,000 passengers.
The closure of the second largest German airport has occurred after aerial drivers confirmed the presence of drones in German airspace, which is a new shock in a week marked by the incidents in Munich: on Monday, at the beginning of A bomb threat linked to a case of family violence in the north of the city.
A phenomenon that is repeated throughout Europe
What happened in Bavaria is not an isolated event. Europe has been chaining incidents with unmanned aircraft that survive airports, military bases and official buildings. A few weeks ago, Denmark and Norway to the presence of drones in their airspace that was attributed to a coordinated attack. And they are not the only ones: at least ten European countries, from Lithuania and Poland to France and Romania, have registered similar episodes.
The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, suggested that Russia could be behind these incursions, although Copenhagen has not officially indicated any responsible. Moscow, meanwhile, denies it. Vladimir Putin himself ironized this Thursday ensuring that “he will not fly more drones about Denmark”, in a joke that barely reduced the tension.
The threat of drones has also reached the international agenda and in Copenhagen, at the top of the European political community, the forum that brings together the leaders of the EU and another twenty of countries of the continent, has supported the creation of the against those from Russia, as well as the reinforcement of the air defense capacity, with Ukraine as the first line of protection. “Every euro or dollar sent to kyiv is a direct investment in security for Europe,” defended the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, in an appearance with Volodimir Zelenski, protagonist of the appointment.
The closure of Munich airport confirms that the appearance of drones in European airspace have gone from being an isolated problem to an entire continental challenge. From the Baltic countries to Germany, through northern Europe, the threat is repeated and strength to governments to accelerate the creation of a common shield. Bavaria has only been the last piece of a European board in which the heavens no longer are given by insurance.
