Munich Airport, Germany’s second-busiest aviation hub, ground to a halt twice in less than 24 hours this week after a series of suspected drone sightings, thrusting Europe’s growing airspace security concerns into the international spotlight. The disruptions, which began late on October 2, 2025, and recurred on October 3, are the latest in a string of mysterious drone incursions affecting airports and military bases across the continent.
According to statements released by Munich Airport and reported by the Associated Press, flights were first restricted shortly after 10 p.m. local time on Thursday, October 2, following reports of drones in the area. The airport then halted all operations, grounding 17 flights and affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Fifteen incoming flights were diverted to other airports in Germany and to Vienna, Austria. While operations briefly resumed at 5 a.m. on Friday, new sightings that evening forced another closure, sending authorities scrambling once again.
"When a drone is sighted, the safety of travelers is the top priority," Munich Airport said in a statement, as cited by CBS News. The airport emphasized that reporting chains between air traffic control, airport management, and police have been firmly established for years, but the recent incidents put these protocols to the test in dramatic fashion.
Hundreds of stranded passengers were forced to spend the night in cots set up in airport terminals or were shuttled to nearby hotels, with staff distributing blankets, drinks, and snacks, according to the German news agency dpa. Stefan Bayer, a spokesperson for Germany’s federal police at Munich Airport, told reporters that the number of drones involved was unclear, but that witnesses included police, airline employees, and members of the public. Despite deploying helicopters and other detection equipment, authorities were unable to recover any drones at the scene.
The chaos in Munich was mirrored further west. On the same night, drones were spotted over the Elsenborn military base in eastern Belgium, near the German border. Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken told Le Soir newspaper that as many as 15 drones were observed above the base, a facility used primarily for army training and live-fire exercises. The sightings, reported around 1:45 a.m. local time, prompted an ongoing investigation by the Belgian Defense Ministry. A Belgian official confirmed to CBS News that the number of drones was still under review, while German police in the nearby city of Düren identified 15 different drones in the area.
The incidents in Germany and Belgium are not isolated. Over the past month, similar unexplained drone sightings have been reported near airports and military installations in Norway, Denmark, and Poland. In Norway’s capital, Oslo, drone activity disrupted airport operations just weeks earlier. Polish and NATO forces have also scrambled fighter jets in response to drones linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine crossing into Polish airspace, as reported by the Associated Press.
European officials are increasingly alarmed by what appears to be a coordinated pattern. At a recent summit in Copenhagen, European Union leaders met to discuss boosting air defenses and improving cross-border cooperation against drone incursions. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, speaking after the summit on October 1, 2025, stated, "We meet at a time when Russia has intensified their attacks in Ukraine, where we have seen Russian airspace violations and unwanted drone activity in several European countries. From a European perspective there is only one country... willing to threaten us, and that is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back."
While suspicion in European capitals runs high that Russia or its allies may be orchestrating some of these drone flights to probe NATO’s security posture, Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement. Russian authorities have dismissed claims of their participation in recent incidents, including those in Denmark. Security experts caution that attribution is complex given the widespread availability of drone technology. Hans-Christian Mathiesen, vice president of defense programs at Danish drone maker Sky-Watch, told the Associated Press, "If you have a drone, you can always fly it into restricted airspace and disrupt activity. It could be anything from boys fooling around to criminal organizations to state actors." He added that a state actor could disrupt activities and examine responses "with a minimal level of effort."
In a separate but related development, French authorities recently detained a Russia-linked oil tanker on suspicion of involvement in drone incursions over Denmark. Navy commandos thoroughly searched the vessel but found no drones, no launch equipment, and no evidence that drones had taken off from the ship. The tanker, which has changed names several times and is now called "Pushpa" or "Boracay," was released and allowed to continue its journey, according to Marine Traffic and an official with knowledge of the investigation who spoke to the Associated Press.
The repeated shutdowns at Munich Airport have underscored the urgency of the issue for both European governments and the traveling public. Germany’s interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, announced plans to discuss a "drone detection and defense plan" with his European counterparts at a meeting in Munich over the weekend. "We are in a race between drone threat and drone defense. We want to and must win this race," Dobrindt declared at a ceremony in Saarbrücken alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The disruption has had tangible effects: thousands of travelers have faced delays and inconvenience, and airlines like Lufthansa have expressed regret over the impact. A spokesperson for Lufthansa told CBS News that flight operations "resumed as scheduled early in the morning," and passengers were either rebooked or had their flights rescheduled.
Authorities across Europe are now ramping up their response. German officials say new detection and defense technologies are being tested and could soon be deployed more widely around airports and critical infrastructure. At the Copenhagen summit, EU leaders pledged to step up cooperation against drone incursions and coordinate air defense measures, recognizing the cross-border nature of the threat.
The uncertainty over who is behind these incursions—whether pranksters, criminal groups, or state actors—has left both officials and the public on edge. The incidents have highlighted the vulnerabilities in Europe’s airspace and the challenges of defending against small, hard-to-detect drones that can cause massive disruptions with little warning.
As investigations continue in Germany, Belgium, and elsewhere, and as governments race to adapt their defenses, the events of this week serve as a stark reminder: in the era of drone technology, even the busiest airports and most secure military bases are not immune to sudden, invisible threats.
