Munich Airport Back in Action After Overnight Drone Scare

Germany’s Munich airport is back online after drone sightings Thursday night brought operations to a standstill, cancelling 17 flights, diverting 15, and leaving about 3,000 passengers stranded.

Flights started moving again by early Friday, with tracking sites showing departures around 5:50am (03:50 GMT). A Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed: “flight operations have since resumed according to schedule” and noted at least 19 of its flights were affected.

According to airport officials, German air traffic control first reported drone activity at 10:18pm local time [20:18 GMT]. Restrictions escalated quickly into a full suspension as more sightings were reported, including over the airport grounds. Police helicopters were dispatched, though “no information is available on the type and number of drones,” a police spokesperson told DPA news agency.

While flights were grounded, airline staff scrambled to care for thousands of passengers, rolling out camp beds, blankets, and food in the terminals. The airport stressed:

“When a drone is sighted, the safety of travellers is the top priority.” It added that dealing with drones is a matter for federal and state police: “It is important to emphasise that the detection and defence against drones are sovereign tasks and are the responsibility of the federal and state police.”

The Munich closure follows similar disruptions in Denmark and Norway last week. In Copenhagen, European leaders doubled down on plans to expand drone defences across the bloc. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said:

“Europe must be able to defend itself. We need to strengthen our production of drones, of anti-drone capabilities, and this includes building up a European network of anti-drone measures that can protect and, of course, also neutralise intrusion from outside.”

At the Valdai Club in Sochi, President Vladimir Putin even addressed the drone debate with humor, quipping:

“I will not. I will not [send] any more drones, neither to France nor to Denmark, Copenhagen. Where else do they fly to?” He added, “If we speak seriously, we do not have drones which can reach Lisbon.”

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has floated the idea of a “drone wall” (a continental network of sensors and defences) after drones entered Polish airspace in September.