Flights were halted late Thursday at Munich Airport after drones were spotted nearby, the airport said, making Germany the latest European country that has had to shut down air travel in recent weeks after drone sightings.
The drone activity, first spotted at 10:18 p.m. local time, caused 17 flights to be unable to take off from Munich, affecting nearly 3,000 travelers, according to a statement from the airport. Fifteen inbound flights were redirected to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, the airport said.
“When a drone is sighted, the safety of travelers is the top priority,” the airport said in the statement.