German UAV Incidents Add to the Continent’s Safety Worries
The Bavarian capital joins a rising group of European aviation hubs disrupted by UAV observations in the last month, involving 17 canceled journeys, fifteen rerouted, and numerous travelers dealing with delays to their travel overnight.
Various individuals claimed spotting drones in the vicinity of the airfield, with a subsequent observation later confirmed in the protected airspace, forcing aviation authorities to suspend operations during inquiry.
It is still unclear the quantity of, or what kind, drones were present.
The incident comes just before the final days of the Bavarian celebration event, which had previously experienced disruption in recent days due to a bomb threat in the urban area.
The German air navigation service, the national air navigation service provider responsible for the country’s flight paths, stated last week that unmanned aircraft reports close to aviation hubs are rising, with 144 incidents so far in 2025, compared with 113 in 2024, and 99 in the year before last.
Expect the observations and the connected issues to reignite the discussion about the EU’s sky protection, shortly after the European Union summit in Copenhagen revealed some disagreements – primarily along regional divisions – about the freshly introduced “UAV barrier” project.
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Key Points
- Munich Airport experienced significant flight cancellations due to unmanned aircraft observations.
- 17 journeys were grounded, and 15 were rerouted.
- Many individuals dealt with delays overnight.
- The situation occurred shortly before the closing weekend of Oktoberfest.
- Unmanned aircraft reports near German airports have been rising in the last period.
- The incidents are expected to reignite discussions on European air defence and the suggested “UAV barrier” project.
