"Flights were suspended for almost two hours at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on Friday due to sightings of unidentified drones, the latest in a series of similar scares across Europe, an airport spokesman told AFP. Take-offs and landings were suspended between 8:08 pm (19:08 GMT) and 9:58 pm and a "whole series of flights" were diverted to other German cities during the closure, the spokesman said. Berlin's ban on night flights was also relaxed to mitigate the impact on flight operations, he added."
"German leaders have repeatedly raised the alarm about a growing drone threat after a series of sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at airports as well as sensitive military sites this year. Airports in Denmark, Norway and Poland have also recently suspended flights due to unidentified drones, while Romania and Estonia have pointed the finger at Russia, which has brushed off the allegations. Germany -- a major NATO backer of Ukraine in its fight against Russia -- has similarly blamed Moscow."
Unidentified drones prompted a nearly two-hour suspension of take-offs and landings at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, with flights halted between 20:08 and 21:58 local time and multiple flights diverted to other German cities. Night-flight restrictions were relaxed to reduce operational impacts. Police deployed a patrol car and helicopter; the patrol car spotted a drone but no pilot was identified. Similar drone-related suspensions have occurred at airports in Denmark, Norway, Poland and Munich, and multiple UAV sightings have been reported over German military and critical infrastructure sites. German officials have blamed Russia, and calls have been made for enhanced detection and countermeasure capabilities.
Read at The Local Germany
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]