Munich flights largely back to normal as public urged to be calm

On Sunday, when theft operations returned to normal at Munich airport, the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, called for calm after repeated drones observations on some of the largest and busiest airports in the country.

The drones were spotted Thursday and Friday evening at the second largest German airport, leading to a temporary suspension of flight operations on the two days that affected thousands of travelers.

Many flights have been diverted or canceled and nearly 10,000 people were unable to travel as expected, some forced to spend the night at the airport, where camp beds, blankets and food were provided and stores remained open during the night.

Of the more than 1,000 takeoff and landing scheduled for Saturday, airlines have canceled around 170 flights for operational reasons, while other flights have been delated.

However, on Sunday morning, the impacts were reduced in particular, the flight operations starting by time, said the airport, but passengers are invited to check their flight status on their airline website before going to the airport.

The Minister advises calm

The incidents in Munich were the last of a series of drone observations in European airspace, which raises concerns throughout the region.

Pistorius said that he understood uncertainty, noting in an interview with the Handelsblatt business newspaper published on Sunday that such a debate has not occurred before: “This is why it is all the more important to see the situation sober and calmly: so far, the observed drones have not represented a concrete threat”.

According to Handelsblatt, the interview was conducted before drones were seen at Munich airport on Thursday and Friday evening. We do not know who is responsible for drone flights.

From the point of view of Pistorius, Russia aims fundamentally to sow uncertainty with the violations of airspace and drone areas.

“It is a question of provoking, scoring and triggering controversial debates. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows Germany very well, as we all know. He also knows German instincts and reflexes, “said Pistorius.

The Minister considers plans for the drone defense center skeptically

Pistorius stressed that Germany made significant progress in the defense of drones. At the same time, he tempered the expectations of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr.

“The Bundeswehr cannot be everywhere in Germany where drones appear and shoot them,” he said. “It is much more crucial than the state and the federal police strengthen the capacities he needs to operate up to a certain altitude.”

Pistorius is skeptical about the plans of the Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt for a drone defense center. “This center would then only be responsible for a potential threat of drones. However, we must expect that there can be multiple threat scenarios,” said the Minister of Defense. “Consequently, we mainly need a conscience of joint situation 24 / 7-360 degrees.”

For example, he mentioned the case where forest fires or current failures occur simultaneously in different parts of Germany.

“All the relevant data to assess the security situation of Germany should converge at a given time. It is only in this way to determine if there could be a connection and a common cause behind apparent isolated incidents,” said Pistorius.

Hesse is looking for measures, money, coordination

Meanwhile, in Hesse, the Prime Minister Boris Rhein described other measures – and the need to finance – for the defense of drones after the rise in observations.

He told VRM Media that Hesse was well prepared for drones, but other capacities are necessary to detect and defend sites against drones, he said. “And for that, we will also invest money.”

Rhein also underlined the need for a “coordinated approach between federal governments and states” concerning responsibilities and technical equipment.

Hesse already plays a pioneering role in legal terms concerning the defense of drones, after having enabled effective anti-line measures in police law by 2024, allowing the police to neutralize drones, he said. The defense and fight of military drones must remain the responsibility of the federal government, added Rhein.

Friday, a drone was also spotted in the largest German airport in Frankfurt, in the state of Hesse. A pastime drone pilot sparked a police operation there with a short test flight, but the operations were not disrupted.

Bavaria also provides for a new regulation to allow the state police to shoot drones if necessary, said Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann.

“We want to considerably extend the legal possibilities of the Bavarian police so that they can act immediately and effectively against drones. This also means that the police can immediately shoot drones in the event of acute danger,” said Herrmann.