Flights Temporarily Suspended At Berlin Airport Over Drone scare

Flights were suspended for almost two hours at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on Friday due to sightings of unidentified drones, the latest in a series of similar scares across Europe, an airport spokesman told AFP.

Take-offs and landings were suspended between 8:08 pm (1908 GMT) and 9:58 pm and a "whole series of flights" were diverted to other German cities during the closure, the spokesman said.

Berlin's ban on night flights was also relaxed to mitigate the impact on fight operations, he added.

"We assume that the danger has been averted for the time being," the spokesman said.

German leaders have repeatedly raised the alarm about a growing drone threat after a series of sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at airports as well as sensitive military sites this year. 

Airports in Denmark, Norway and Poland have also recently suspended flights due to unidentified drones, while Romania and Estonia have pointed the finger at Russia, which has brushed off the allegations.

Germany -- a major NATO backer of Ukraine in its fight against Russia -- has similarly pointed the finger at Moscow.

Multiple UAV sightings have been reported in recent months over military bases, industrial sites and other critical infrastructure in Germany.

In early October, drones spotted over the southern city of Munich twice shut down the city's airport, grounding thousands of passengers after their flights were cancelled or re-routed.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has called for Germany to "find new responses to this hybrid threat" -- including greater capabilities to detect, assess and potentially shoot down drones.

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