Sawt Falasteen - Munich airport halts flights after drone sightings

Airports in Denmark, Norway and Poland have recently suspended flights over unidentified drones, while Romania and Estonia have pointed the finger at Russia, which has brushed off the allegations.

Nearly 3,000 passengers were grounded as 17 departing flights were cancelled on Thursday night by Munich airport, which added in a statement that 15 arriving flights were diverted to other cities, including Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt.

"Camp beds were set up, and blankets, drinks, and snacks were provided" to affected passengers in Munich, the statement added.

It did not specify when flights will resume.

Several people spotted drones around the airport at about 1930 GMT Thursday, and again an hour later, leading to the closure of both runways for an hour, a police spokesperson told AFP.

German authorities have launched a search to identify the origin of the drones.

Police helicopters were deployed but "no information is available on the type and number of drones," the spokesperson said.

The incident comes ahead of the final weekend of Germany's Oktoberfest, which draws hundreds of thousands of people every day to Munich.

The annual festival had already closed for half a day on Wednesday after a bomb scare.

- 'Drone wall' -

The drone sightings in Denmark and high-profile aerial incursions by Moscow in Estonia and Poland have heightened fears that Russia's assault on Ukraine could spill over Europe's borders.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Europe on Thursday that the recent drone incursions showed Moscow was looking to "escalate" its aggression.

Germany is on high alert, saying a swarm of them had flown over the country last week, including over military and industrial sites.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Berlin needed to "find new responses to this hybrid threat" -- including potentially shooting down the drones.

Denmark also raised the alarm, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterating last week that only one country "poses a threat to Europe's security -- and that's Russia".

Moscow said it "firmly rejects" any suggestion of involvement, with Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing Europe of stoking "hysteria" to justify rising military spending.

EU heads of state met in Copenhagen this week to discuss bolstering the bloc's defences with the establishment of a "drone wall".

Denmark accepted a Swedish offer of Stockholm's anti-drone technology to ensure the meeting could proceed without disruption.

Meanwhile, the United States is sending anti-drone defences to Denmark, Copenhagen's defence ministry said.

NATO has said it has "enhanced vigilance" in the Baltic following the airspace intrusions.

G.AbuHamad--SF-PST