Munich Airport Closure Raises Calls for Stricter Drone Rules

Munich Airport suspended operations on Oct. 2 following multiple drone sightings, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Air traffic control halted flights at 10:18 p.m. local time (2018 GMT) before suspending all operations. Seventeen flights were canceled and another 15 were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt.

“This was necessary after several drone sightings in the airport area,” the airport said in a statement. Flight operations resumed early on Oct. 3, with a flight from Bangkok landing at around 5:25 a.m. (0325 GMT). Departures also restarted, with passengers checking in for a flight to Varna, Bulgaria, according to a Reuters witness.

German police confirmed drones were observed over the airport but said darkness prevented identification of their type or size. Local broadcaster BR reported that state and federal authorities are investigating, though neither provided further details.

The incident follows similar disruptions last week in Denmark and Norway, where airports temporarily closed due to drones entering their airspace. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suggested Russia could be responsible, though Copenhagen has not issued a formal attribution. Russian President Vladimir Putin, asked about the incidents, joked that he would not fly drones over Denmark again. Moscow has denied involvement.

The disruption comes amid heightened security in Munich. Earlier in the week, Oktoberfest was temporarily closed due to a bomb threat, and explosives were found in a residential building in the northern part of the city.

The incident has reignited political calls for stronger responses to drone activity. “Our police must have the authority to shoot down drones,” Markus Söder, Bavaria’s prime minister, told Bild newspaper. “We need sovereignty over our airspace.”

On Sep. 29, the European Commission proposed a multi-layered “drone wall” to counter Russian aerial threats, part of four key defense projects shared with EU leaders ahead of a Copenhagen meeting. The system is designed to detect, track, and neutralize drones, alongside the Eastern Flank Watch, Air Defence Shield, and Defence Space Shield.

The measures follow recent drone incursions into Polish, Romanian, Danish, and Norwegian airspace. The Commission called the drone wall and Eastern Flank Watch urgent. Projects require unanimous approval from EU members and may be partly funded by the €1.5 billion European Defence Industrial Programme, with coordination arrangements expected by next spring. German officials have not indicated whether they believe the Munich incident is linked to foreign actors.