---
title: "Drone sightings disrupt Munich airport, halt flights and impact thousands"
description: "Oct 3 (Reuters) - Germany's Munich airport said early on Friday that drone sightings on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-03-drone-sightings-disrupt-munich-airport-halt-flights-and-impact-thousands/"
published: "2025-10-03T04:48:38"
updated: "2025-10-03T04:48:39"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 232
---

# Drone sightings disrupt Munich airport, halt flights and impact thousands

> Oct 3 (Reuters) - Germany's Munich airport said early on Friday that drone sightings on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers.

By Reuters · Published 3 October 2025, 06:48 SAST · Updated 3 October 2025, 06:48 SAST

## Key points
- In a plot twist worthy of a spy novel, Munich's airport was grounded by drone sightings, leaving travelers caught in a high-stakes game of aerial hide-and-seek, just as the city was recovering from a bomb scare that had Oktoberfest on the edge of its lederhosen.
- Munich airport faced significant disruptions as air traffic was restricted and eventually suspended due to multiple drone sightings.
- A total of 15 flights were diverted to other German and Austrian cities amidst the chaos.
- The drone incidents follow a week of heightened security in Munich, including a bomb threat that temporarily closed Oktoberfest.
- EU leaders are considering enhanced defenses against potential Russian drone threats, although Moscow denies involvement in the recent disturbances.

## Content

Another 15 arriving flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, the airport said in a statement, marking the latest drone disruption to European aviation after sightings temporarily [shut airports](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL6N3V90UD&linkedFromStory=true) in Denmark and Norway last week.

German air traffic control officials restricted flight operations at Munich airport from 10:18 p.m. (2018 GMT) on Thursday and later suspended them altogether due to several drone sightings, the airport added.

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 said the airport would remain closed until 0259 GMT, or 4:59 a.m. local time, on Friday.

The first arriving flight on Friday is expected at 5:25 a.m., while the first departure is scheduled for 5:50 a.m., the airport's website showed.

Munich was already placed on edge this week when its popular Oktoberfest was closed temporarily due to a [bomb threat](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N3VI093&linkedFromStory=true) and the discovery of [explosives](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N3VI093&linkedFromStory=true) in a residential building in the city's north.

Denmark has stopped short of saying who it believes is responsible for the incidents in its airspace last week, which disrupted air traffic at multiple airports, but Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has suggested it could be Russia.

European Union leaders [backed plans](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N3VI0AE&linkedFromStory=true) on Wednesday to bolster the bloc's defences against Russian drones.

Russian President [Vladimir Putin](https://www.reuters.com/topic/person/vladimir-putin/) joked on Thursday that he would not [fly drones](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AS8N3VC05K&linkedFromStory=true) over Denmark anymore, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents.

(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Jamie Freed)