Authorities in Germany have reportedly deployed a laser installation near Munich Airport following recent drone disruptions, according to Bild. The system, described by the newspaper’s unnamed security sources, will help detect a drone’s distance from the airport to prevent further incidents.
The move follows two consecutive airport closures last week after several drone sightings. Flights were grounded, diverted, or cancelled as police launched large-scale search operations around the site.
The first sightings were reported at around 8:30 pm on 2 October in areas including Freising and Erding. Two hours later, drones were spotted near the airport fence, prompting a full preventative shutdown. Seventeen flights were cancelled and fifteen diverted to nearby cities such as Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt.
Authorities provided camp beds, blankets, and snacks to stranded passengers as investigations continued. However, the situation worsened a day later when drones were again spotted near the north and south runways shortly before 11 pm. Police confirmed the sightings but said the drones disappeared before identification.
Further sightings on 4 October led to another 170 flight cancellations or diversions. The incidents occurred just after Munich’s busy Oktoberfest and during a government meeting focused on migration and security, intensifying local concerns.
Germany is not alone in facing drone incursions. In recent months, at least eleven European countries, including France, Denmark, and Poland, have reported similar disturbances. European leaders recently met in Copenhagen to discuss creating a “drone wall” along the bloc’s eastern border to counter such threats.
