Hannover Airport in northern Germany temporarily suspended flights on Wednesday evening due to a drone spotted nearby, police reported, according to LETA citing DPA.
The airport was closed from 22:00 to 22:45 (from 23:00 to 23:45 Latvian time). This occurred after the pilot of an incoming flight reported sighting a drone.
According to initial information, the drone was flying over an industrial area near the airport.
Three airplanes were redirected to other airports. The others were able to land or take off later, but with delays.
One of the flights that was supposed to arrive from Frankfurt was redirected to Hamburg.
In recent days, operations at other airports in Germany have also been disrupted due to sighted drones.
On Sunday, flights at Bremen Airport were suspended for about an hour for the same reason. On Friday evening, Berlin-Brandenburg Airport was closed for about two hours due to a drone.
Drones pose a safety threat near airports. Flights of drones are prohibited within a radius of one and a half kilometers from the airport, as they can interfere with the takeoff and landing of airplanes. Violators of this ban face penalties for endangering air traffic safety.
According to the German Air Traffic Control, by the end of August this year, four incidents involving drones were recorded at Bremen Airport — the same number was recorded at Hannover Airport.
