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Once again, Munich airport was forced to halt all flight operations on Friday following repeated drone sightings. This disruption disrupted numerous aircraft and more than 6,000 passengers.

Extensive EU Disruptions

Terminals in the Danish territory, Norway, and Polish cities have recently encountered similar operational halts as a result of unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles. Meanwhile, Romanian authorities and Estonian officials have accused Moscow, which has dismissed such accusations.

The Latest Event at Munich Airport

According to a public announcement from Munich airport, on Friday "from 9.30pm flight operations faced restrictions and then cancelled because of drone sightings". As a result, 23 arriving aircraft being diverted and 12 departures bound for Munich being cancelled.

Moreover, 46 outgoing flights from the facility ended up halted or rescheduled to the next day, impacting around 6,500 passengers.

Police Confirmation

An official spokesperson mentioned that there were "dual confirmed UAV observations by police patrols just before 11pm near the north and south runways".

"The drones promptly vanished prior to any identification was possible," he noted.

Passenger Support

"Like the previous night, the facility, together with the airlines, quickly provided supplies for travelers inside the building. Camp beds were installed, as well as coverings, refreshments, and food items," officials said.

The airport projects operations to be resumed as normal at 5am Saturday morning.

Prior Incident on Thursday Evening

The first stoppage the previous day resulted in over 30 air services facing cancellation and affected about 3,000 flyers stuck.

The first incident commenced at 8.30pm in the evening as law enforcement reported unmanned aircraft were detected in zones adjacent to the aviation hub, including the towns of Freising and Erding district.

The Erding area plays host to a military airbase operated by the national armed forces. Even though media outlets suggested some of the drones were spotted passing over the installation, officials could not confirm this.

Earliest unmanned aircraft near the airport boundary were seen at about 9.05pm that evening, and subsequently above the airport complex roughly sixty minutes after.

The incidents concluded around midnight, though only after causing the shutdown of all airstrips.

Police helicopters were utilized though "no details is available regarding the type and number of UAVs", police stated.

Government Response

On Friday morning the country's interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, said the first night’s incident was a "alert" regarding the threat from drones.

"The race involving drone dangers and countermeasures for drones is growing increasingly challenging," he told media outlets, adding that "additional funding and studies" on this matter is critically required across Germany and the EU.

Background of the Incident

The disruptions happened when the country marked a public holiday this Friday – a public holiday – and as Bavaria's capital prepared for the last days of the famous beer festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands visitors to the city daily.

This famous festival and celebration had already closed for half a day earlier in the week after a security alert.

Regulatory Measures

Berlin officials is likely soon to approve measures for a change in regulations to permit military forces shoot drones down when needed.

A senior official, the politician, commented to outlets that "we must have the capability to shoot [drones] down immediately as opposed to waiting", and said that authorities ought to have the power to take such action.

Broader EU Concerns

Unmanned aircraft observations in Denmark and significant airspace breaches in Estonia and Polish airspace have increased apprehensions that the ongoing conflict on Ukraine might extend Europe’s borders.

The Ukrainian president, the official, warned Europe on Thursday that these aerial incidents demonstrated Moscow aimed to "escalate" military activities.

Germany is on high alert, reporting multiple of UAVs had flown over the country recently, with flights across defense and factory locations.

Denmark similarly expressed concern, according to officials, Mette Frederiksen, stating again this week that one state "represents a danger to EU stability – and it is Moscow".

The Kremlin said it "firmly rejects" any suggestion of participation, with the Russian president, Putin, alleging Europe of promoting "hysteria" as a pretext for increasing armament expenditures.