Precautionary evacuation halts traffic

The tower was evacuated as a precaution and take-offs and landings were stopped from 8:33 pm (1833 GMT), the spokesman said. Flights resumed at 10:15 pm, the airport told AFP, although a notice on its website said that delays may continue.

Technical malfunction resolved

"The smell was detected because of a technical malfunction. The problem has been solved," a Munich airport spokesman told AFP. Munich is Germany's second-busiest airport after Frankfurt.

Backup staff deployed

A spokeswoman for Germany's air-traffic control operations, Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), said the late shift had been called in early to staff a backup tower at the airport.