Munich Airport was forced to suspend operations on the evening of October 2 after drones were detected in its airspace, the German air traffic control authority DFS confirmed. The first restrictions began at 22:18 local time, and shortly after, all flights were halted.

As a result of the disruption, 17 departing flights could not take off, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded. To accommodate them, airport staff set up folding beds inside the terminals and provided food and water. At the same time, 15 incoming flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt. Authorities did not specify how many drones were observed, only that several sightings had been reported over the course of the evening.

The Munich incident comes amid a wider wave of drone-related disruptions across Europe. In late September, Norway temporarily closed Brønnøysund Airport on two occasions after unidentified drones were seen in the area. Just days earlier, Norwegian police imposed stricter rules for drone flights around four airports in Nordland following possible sightings near the Ørland military air base. Other Norwegian airports – including Bodø, Evenes, and Andenes – were also affected.

On September 29, drones were spotted over Equinor’s Sleipner gas field in the North Sea, raising additional concerns about security around critical infrastructure. Similar incidents were reported in Germany as well, where police confirmed the presence of large quadcopters near the Rostock seaport on September 29, and multiple sightings across Schleswig-Holstein on September 26.

European transport hubs have also been repeatedly targeted. Both Oslo and Copenhagen airports were forced to suspend flights in recent weeks due to drone activity. German outlet Der Spiegel suggested that some of the recent sightings may be linked to surveillance of key facilities.

The growing number of drone incursions has fueled tensions at a time of heightened military alert in Europe. In early September, Polish forces shot down several Russian drones that crossed into their airspace during large-scale attacks on Ukraine. Days later, another Russian drone entered Romanian territory, though authorities there chose not to respond. On September 19, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets even briefly violated Estonian airspace, remaining inside for 12 minutes before being intercepted by NATO aircraft.