Munich Airport resumed operations on Saturday morning after a night-time suspension caused by drone sightings, but travelers were warned to expect delays throughout the day.
“Capacity is now gradually being ramped up again,” an airport spokesman said. He advised passengers to check the status of their flight with the relevant airlines before traveling to the airport.
Flights at Germany’s second-largest airport were halted for the second consecutive night on Friday as a precaution after drones were seen near both runways. Police reported two drone sightings shortly before 11 p.m. local time, stating, “The drones immediately flew away before they could be identified.”
The disruption led to 46 flights unable to depart, 23 incoming flights diverted, and 12 canceled flights, affecting about 6,500 passengers. Some passengers spent the night at the airport where basic accommodations and refreshments were provided.
The airport emphasized that traveler safety remains its top priority when drones are detected.
Friday’s closure followed a similar incident over a nearby German military facility and came after Thursday’s drone activity also forced operational shutdowns, impacting thousands of travelers.
Authorities have not determined who is responsible for the drone flights or their motives. Bavarian Premier Markus Söder suggested these incidents are part of a broader trend across Europe. “This was not an isolated case,” he told Welt TV. “It is the security situation we are facing.”
Recent weeks have seen increased reports of drones near critical infrastructure in Germany and other European countries. In Denmark and Norway, similar incidents prompted temporary closures at airports and raised concerns about security around sensitive sites such as airbases.
German air traffic control reported a rise in disruptions caused by drones: there were 144 such incidents nationwide between January and August 2025 compared to 113 during the same period last year and 99 in 2023. Munich has recorded six sightings this year; Frankfurt Airport has had 35.
“When drone activity disrupts flight operations, it’s not just a safety issue – it damages confidence in the reliability of air travel,” said Ralph Beisel, chief executive of the ADV German airports association. “Passengers rightly expect airports to be safe, both in the air and on the ground.”
Lawmakers are now debating how best to protect airports from unauthorized drones. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called for armed forces involvement against drone threats and plans to propose new aviation security legislation soon. “We are in a race between the drone threat and drone defense,” he said, adding that this race must be won.
Bavaria’s interior minister Joachim Herrmann advocated allowing state police to shoot down drones if there is immediate danger. However, North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister Herbert Reul cautioned that any decision to shoot down a drone must be “legally sound, proportionate and technically effective.”
Aviation experts have called for all legal drones to be clearly labeled so authorities can distinguish them from illegal ones quickly. Gerald Wissel of the European Association for Unmanned Aviation stated that German airports lack sufficient protection from drones and recommended installing virtual fences around all airports.
Drones will likely feature prominently at an upcoming meeting hosted by Dobrindt with ministers from several European countries in Munich on Saturday.
