MUNICH Airport was plunged into chaos after mystery drones forced both runways to close – stranding thousands of passengers just as the city gears up for the final weekend of Oktoberfest.
German police on Thursday confirmed “several drones” were spotted hovering near the travel hub from around 9.30pm, with sightings later over the airfield itself.
GettyMunich Airport was closed due to multiple drone sightings near and over the airfield[/caption]
AlamyThe closure stranded thousands of passengers as Oktoberfest’s final weekend approaches[/caption]
AlamyThe Oktoberfest finale takes place this Sunday[/caption]
Officers scrambled to track the devices but were unable to identify them or their operators, Bild reported.
By 10.30pm last night, flights were halted and the airport shut down, with 17 departures cancelled.
Fifteen incoming flights had to be diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt.
And around 3,000 passengers were left sleeping on camp beds with snacks and drinks handed out overnight, according to airport officials.
Federal police said they could not yet give details on the “type and size” of the drones.
Both runways are expected to reopen Friday, but officials have not confirmed when full operations will resume.
The disruption comes at the worst possible moment for Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest.
Millions of visitors typically pour into the Bavarian capital for the beer-soaked festivities, and many were set to arrive Thursday night.
The festival was already rattled this week by a bomb threat and a deadly house explosion.
Police were investigating a possible link to the far-left Antifa movement.
Oktoberfest was forced to delay opening after cops discovered a letter threatening the festival while investigating a booby-trapped house fire that killed one man.
Special forces defused explosives and combed the festival grounds for hours before allowing crowds back in.
Germany has been on edge over unexplained drone activity.
Just last week, unidentified aircraft buzzed a power plant, a university hospital and a shipyard in Schleswig-Holstein, according to a German news outlet Der Spiegel.
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GettyAs many as 17 flights were cancelled last night[/caption]
AlamyCrowds in the Hippodrom Beer Tent on the Theresienwiese Oktoberfest fair grounds in Munich, Germany[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
