MUNICH: Both runways at Munich airport were closed on Friday evening for the second time in less than 24 hours after drones were again sighted, leading to dozens of flights being diverted or canceled and stranding some 6,500 passengers, authorities said.
Early on Saturday morning, the airport said its scheduled 5 a.m. opening had been delayed due to drone sightings, advising passengers to contact their airlines.
“German air traffic control restricted flight operations at Munich Airport as a precautionary measure due to unconfirmed drone sightings and suspended them until further notice,” a statement on the airport website read.
In a later update, the airport said 23 flights were diverted, 12 flights to Munich and 48 departures canceled or postponed.
“As on the previous night, the airport and airlines took care of the passengers,” it added. “Camp beds, blankets, drinks and snacks were handed out.”
The previous evening, the captain on a London-bound aircraft whose departure was canceled told passengers that runways had been closed “because of drone sightings near the take-off and landing runways” and that police helicopters were aloft.
The airport website showed due arrivals had been diverted starting at 8.35 p.m. local time (1835 GMT).
Munich airport was closed for several hours late on Thursday and in the small hours after unconfirmed drone sightings that disrupted dozens of flights.
European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings that some authorities have blamed on Russia. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt promised earlier on Friday to bring forward legislation making it easier for the police to ask the military to shoot drones down.
Munich runways closed again after drone sightings
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Munich runways closed again after drone sightings
- Dozens of flights, thousands of passengers affected
- Some flights still listed as canceled on Saturday morning
Protesters to rally in Milan denouncing impact of Winter Games
MILAN: Thousands of people were expected to march through Milan on Saturday in a protest over housing costs and urban affordability on the first full day of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
The march, organized by grassroots unions, housing-rights groups and social center community activists, is set to highlight what activists call an increasingly unsustainable city model marked by soaring rents and deepening inequality.
The Olympics cap a decade in which Milan has seen a property boom following the 2015 World Expo, with locals squeezed by soaring living costs as Italy’s tax scheme for wealthy new residents, alongside Brexit, drew professionals to the financial capital.
According to police estimates, more than 3,000 people are expected to join the march.
It will set off at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) from the Medaglie d’Oro central square and cover nearly four kilometers (2.5 miles) before ending in Milan’s south-eastern quadrant of Corvetto, a historically working-class district.
A rally last weekend by the hard-left in the city of Turin turned violent, with more than 100 police officers injured and nearly 30 protesters arrested, according to an interior ministry tally.
Saturday’s protest follows a series of actions in the run-up to the Games, including rallies on the eve of the opening ceremony that denounced the presence in Italy of US ICE agents and what activists describe as the social and economic burdens of the Olympic project.
Some groups argue that Olympics are a waste of money and resources while housing prices are unaffordable and public meeting places scarce.
The march is taking place under tight security as Milan hosts world leaders, athletes and thousands of visitors for the global sport event, including US Vice President JD Vance.
Political tensions surfaced at the opening ceremony on Friday night where Vance drew jeers in the packed San Siro stadium when an image of him waving the US flag appeared on a big screen.
