On Friday evening (October 31), Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Germany was temporarily closed due to a drone invasion, causing flight delays and diversions.
According to reports from Deutsche Welle, flights at Brandenburg Airport were temporarily suspended for nearly two hours. Although officers in patrol cars spotted a drone, they were unable to pinpoint its location.
An airport spokesperson stated that at 8:08 p.m. local time (19:08 Greenwich Mean Time), witnesses reported the presence of a drone, prompting the airport to close its north runway.
The airport initiated a large-scale emergency response, including deploying police helicopters. The German Federal Aviation Administration also participated in the operation.
During this time, all arriving and departing flights were suspended, leading to flights being redirected to other cities in Germany.
At 9:58 p.m. that evening, the airport was reopened. The airport spokesperson stated, “We believe the current danger has been temporarily alleviated.”
The flight suspension resulted in flights to Basel, Oslo, and Barcelona being unable to take off.
Flights from Stockholm, Antalya, and Helsinki to Berlin were forced to be rerouted.
To prevent interference with flight operations, drones are strictly prohibited from flying within a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) radius around German airports.
Drones have the potential to partially or completely suspend flights, and unauthorized flying near airports will face severe penalties.
Recently, airports in Denmark, Norway, and Poland have all temporarily halted flights due to unidentified drones. In early October, drones appearing over the skies of Munich in southern Germany caused the airport to close twice, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.