BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Operations at Frankfurt airport had to be stopped for about 45 minutes due to a drone sighting, the German federal police announced via Twitter on Thursday morning. 

File photo: VCG

For safety reasons, "no take-offs or landings were possible", said a spokesperson of Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt airport, Germany's largest airport.

There had been "several indications" of a drone in the south of the airport area, according to a spokesperson of the German federal police.

After it was no longer sighted, the German federal police reopened operations at 8:15 a.m. local time in consultation with Frankfurt airport's air traffic control.

In 2018, the German air traffic control (DFS) registered a total of 158 obstructions to regular air traffic caused by drones, which was around 80 percent more than in 2017.

In Germany, drone flights are banned over the take-off and landing areas at airports, as are drone flights over crowds, public buildings like hospitals and federal highways and railways.