Flights were suspended for almost two hours on Friday afternoon at Berlin-Brandenburg airport due to the presence of drones, an additional alert about this threat that worries Europeans and pushes them to reinforce their defense.
Almost a month after a series of appearances of these devices that Europeans suspect were sent by Russia, takeoffs and landings were interrupted between 8:08 p.m. and 8:08 p.m. and 9:58 p.m. (7:08 p.m. to 8:58 p.m. GMT), a spokesman for the German capital airport told AFP.
“The danger has passed for the moment”
“Many flights” were diverted to other German cities before the ban on night flights in Berlin was later eased to ease the impact on air operations, he added. “We assume that the danger has passed for the moment,” the spokesman said.
Local police confirmed that they had been informed of the presence of a drone and said they had deployed a helicopter and a patrol car to the scene. The latter was able to see the device but could not identify its operator.
German leaders have repeatedly warned of the growing threat posed by drones, following a series of incursions by unidentified aircraft into airports and sensitive military sites this year.
Moscow highlighted
Germany, one of Ukraine’s main supporters in its fight against Russia, has pointed the finger at Moscow for the increase in drone activity. Multiple drone sightings have been reported over military bases, industrial sites and other critical infrastructure in Germany in recent months.
At the beginning of October, drones detected twice over Munich (south) caused the closure of the city’s airport. Drones have also been seen over airports and military sites in Denmark and Norway, and suspicion also falls on Moscow, which denies any involvement.
“Anti-drone wall”
“We are not sure yet, but an essential part of these actions is probably orchestrated by Russia,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared in early October on the public broadcaster ARD, referring to the incidents that occurred in Munich and at Copenhagen airport at the end of September.
Denouncing “attempts at espionage and destabilization”, he specified that Germany is closely monitoring the “Russian ghost fleet” stationed in the Baltic Sea, suspected of being involved in these incursions.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called for “finding new responses to this hybrid threat”, in particular by strengthening its capabilities to detect, evaluate and possibly destroy drones.
The German government began a review of the country’s aviation safety laws in October. The goal is to allow the German army, and not just the police, to shoot down drones.
At the European Union level, the Commission wants to create an “anti-drone wall”, which would be fully operational in 2027, but this project is received with skepticism by some member countries.
NATO’s response to the entry of around twenty Russian drones into Polish airspace highlighted the gaps in the European arsenal. To shoot down three of these drones, NATO had to use expensive missiles.
Source: BFM TV
