Frankfurt Airport Temporarily Shuts Down Due to Drone Sighting

Paula Liu
By Paula Liu
March 2, 2020Germany
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Frankfurt Airport Temporarily Shuts Down Due to Drone Sighting
A plane and an airport taxi are seen at the Frankfurt International Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, in a file photo. (Courtesy of Fraport AG)

Frankfurt International Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, was shut down temporarily on Monday due to a drone sighting.

For nearly two hours, the Frankfurt airport was shut down and various flights were canceled or rerouted. Among the passengers was Armin Laschet, the governor of the western Germany state of North Rhine-Westphalia, reported The Star.

“Due to a sighting near the airport flight disruptions and cancellations occur at Frankfurt Airport. Please check the status of your flight before traveling to the airport and allow extra time for your journey,” the airport said in a statement on Twitter.

The Star reported that a pilot spotted the drone near the southern area of the airport around 11:15 a.m., and reported this sighting to the police. Following the respite, the police shut down the airport so that the officers would be able to search in the vicinity in a helicopter.

German authorities later on stated in a post on Twitter that the airport was open around 1 p.m. as the investigation continued, according to the news outlet. The Local Germany reported that even though the airport was open, and takeoffs and landings were allowed again, there were still possibilities of delays.

Flying drones near takeoff and landing at airports is prohibited but drones have caused flights to be delayed, interrupted, or rerouted before. Frankfurt International Airport has been where most drone sightings near German airports have happened, according to the newspaper. In 2019 alone, 28 drone sightings occurred at the airport.

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