Munich Airport (MUC) in Germany was shut down overnight on October 2–3, 2025, due to multiple drone sightings in the area, becoming the latest European airport affected by drone activity.
By the morning of October 3, 2025, the airport had reopened. According to information from Flightradar24, the airport remained closed until 02:59 local time on the night of October 2–3, 2025. A flight from Bangkok, Thailand, was the first to arrive at about 05:25 local time, according to the airport’s website.
In a statement released on October 3, 2025, the airport announced that German air traffic control (DFS) had limited flight operations at the airport on October 2, 2025, starting at 22:18 local time, and eventually halted them completely because of “several drone sightings”.
Thousands of passengers stranded
As a result, 17 flights could not depart from Munich that evening, impacting almost 3,000 passengers. Additionally, 15 incoming flights were redirected to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt.
The airport stated that, when a drone is spotted, the safety of travelers is the “top priority”. Airport officials also mentioned that, in collaboration with the airlines, they “immediately took care of the passengers in the terminals”, providing camp beds, blankets, drinks and snacks.
“It is important to emphasize that the detection and defense against drones are sovereign tasks and are the responsibility of the federal and state police,” officials said in a statement.
Investigators probe drone origins
The source of the drones is still unknown, but authorities are exploring various leads. German news outlet DER SPIEGEL reported that German officials are looking into a potential connection between the drones and a suspicious cargo ship in the region. Its course, speed and location patterns have raised questions about a possible connection to the drone activity.
At the end of September 2025, several drones flew over Schleswig-Holstein, northernmost state of Germany. Authorities are investigating whether the unmanned aircraft were measuring key infrastructure, including a power plant, Kiel University Hospital, and the state government’s headquarters.
An internal memo obtained by the same publication indicated that the drones were flying in parallel paths, seemingly to measure the ground facilities accurately. Officials are exploring the possibility of espionage in connection with these flights.
Recent drone incidents in Scandinavia
The latest breach follows three similar drone incidents in the Nordic region on September 22, 2025.
Unidentified drones were spotted at Aalborg (AAL), Esbjerg (EBJ), and Sønderborg (SGD) airports, as well as near Skrydstrup Airport (SKS) in Denmark on the night of September 24–25, 2025.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen referred to the drone activity as a coordinated hybrid attack, implying it was executed by a “professional actor” and indicating Russia as a probable origin, although Moscow has denied any involvement.
On September 22, 2025, Copenhagen Airport (CPH) suspended all flights for four hours after reports of three or four large drones. Danish media suggest the drones may have been transported to Denmark by ships and used as launch or landing platforms. Police also confirmed the presence of a drone near Oslo Airport (OSL) on the same day.
