Munich Airport Temporarily Shuts Down After Multiple Drone Sightings
Munich, Germany — Munich International Airport was forced to suspend operations late Thursday evening after multiple drones were detected in the vicinity, grounding 17 departing flights and diverting 15 incoming ones. The shutdown lasted nearly seven hours and impacted approximately 3,000 passengers.
Major Disruptions Across Routes
Shortly after 10:00 p.m. local time, air traffic control initiated a suspension of departures following confirmed drone reports. As the situation escalated, inbound flights were also disrupted, with 15 aircraft rerouted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Vienna. Flight tracking data showed several planes circling Munich airspace before being diverted.
Operations resumed at 5:00 a.m. local time after authorities deemed it safe. The first aircraft to land was a Lufthansa long-haul flight from Bangkok, scheduled for 5:25 a.m. Lufthansa later confirmed that 19 of its flights were either canceled or rerouted, including three long-haul services to Asia. The airline provided affected passengers with food, beverages, blankets, and temporary camp beds inside the terminal.
Part of a Wider Pattern: Rising Drone Disruptions in Europe
Munich is the latest European hub to face drone-related closures, following incidents in Denmark and Norway earlier this week. Denmark responded by banning all civilian drone flights ahead of an EU summit in Copenhagen. European leaders used the meeting to push forward a proposed “drone wall” — a continent-wide network of detection and interception systems designed to counter unmanned aerial threats.
Reports of drones violating NATO airspace in Poland and Romania, along with allegations of Russian fighter jets entering Estonian airspace, have further heightened concerns. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suggested Russia is the main security threat, though the Kremlin strongly denies involvement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a televised address, mocked Western allegations as attempts to “inflame tensions” while hinting that Moscow may take countermeasures if Europe continues to increase militarization.
Munich on Edge Amid Wider Security Concerns
The drone incident comes just days after Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest was briefly shut down due to a bomb threat. Local police also discovered explosive devices in a residential district, compounding anxieties in the Bavarian capital.
Munich Airport, a vital hub for Lufthansa and one of Europe’s busiest, handled nearly 20 million passengers in the first half of 2025. This latest disruption underscores the growing vulnerability of aviation infrastructure to low-cost drone technologies.
Implications for Europe’s Airspace Security
Experts warn that drone disruptions represent a new frontier in hybrid security, blurring the lines between state and non-state threats. The EU’s “drone wall” proposal aims to provide a unified shield for member states, but implementation remains a challenge. Analysts argue that Europe must act quickly to prevent drones from becoming a persistent risk to civil aviation.
For passengers, the incident highlights the fragile nature of air travel security in the drone era. Airlines are now reviewing contingency plans to better respond to sudden drone sightings and minimize future disruptions.