Flights resume at Munich Airport after latest drone sightings

Flights at Munich Airport have resumed after drone sightings disrupted airport operations overnight, German police said on Friday.

The incident is the latest in a series of sightings over European critical infrastructure in recent weeks, prompting debate on how authorities can respond.

It also comes just days after Munich's traditional Oktoberfest celebrations were disrupted by a bomb threat.

According to the police, several people reported seeing a drone near the airport on Thursday evening, with later sightings over the airport grounds. It remains unclear whether there was one drone or several.

The airport's runways were closed as a precaution. Some 17 flights were unable to depart on Thursday evening, affecting around 3,000 passengers, some of whom spent the night on camp beds set up in terminals or in hotels.

Fifteen flights scheduled to land at the airport were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt.

Flight operations were running normally on Friday.

Europe has been on high alert following a string of drone incidents recently, including sightings of drones flying over critical infrastructure in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein in late September.

In Denmark, numerous drones have been sighted around airports, prompting temporary closures, while in Norway authorities have reported drones over the Ørland airbase, where US-made F-35s are stationed.

It remains unclear who is behind the drone flights, but there is speculation that Russia may be involved. Moscow has rejected the allegations.

Responding to the latest incident on Friday, Bavarian Premier Markus Söder again spoke out in favour of allowing his state's police force to quickly shoot down drones.

However, experts warn that shooting down drones is dangerous due to the risk of falling debris and explosive loads.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called for more funding, support and research for drone defence, both nationally and at the European level.

"The drone sightings over Munich are another wake-up call: the race between drone threats and drone defence is becoming increasingly fierce," he wrote on X. 

According to the German air traffic control, disruptions caused by drones at airports across the country have increased significantly.

The service reported 144 disruptions caused by drones between January and August 2025.

In the same period last year, there were 113 incidents, up from 99 in 2023. At Frankfurt Airport, Germany's largest hub, 35 disruptions have already been recorded this year.

Drone sighted over Oktoberfest after closure

The incident in Munich comes days before the Bavarian capital's world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival comes to a close on Sunday.

The traditional event draws millions of visitors every year, with Thursday's disruption at Munich Airport likely to have affected some.

The festival was briefly closed on Wednesday due to a bomb threat linked to a family dispute.

On Thursday evening, a drone was sighted over the grounds and a Georgian man was detained.

The device's memory card was seized, police said. The man was released on bail.