Munich Airport in Germany was forced to temporarily close early Friday local time following multiple drone sightings, officials confirmed. The disruption grounded 17 flights, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers, the airport said in an official statement, according to the CNN.In addition, 15 inbound flights were redirected to other German cities, including Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt, as well as Vienna in Austria, the airport said. Munich Airport, located in Bavaria in southern Germany, handled nearly 20 million passengers in the first half of 2025. The closure adds Munich to a growing list of European airports disrupted by drone sightings. A call handler fielding passenger enquiries for Munich Airport told CNN: “Some flights are still waiting to take off, others have been canceled. Everything is under control and the airport is due to reopen at 5 a.m.” The airport, a hub for German flag-carrier Lufthansa, served nearly 20 million passengers in the first half of this year. It became the latest European airport to close following drone sightings. Last week, a series of sightings over several airports in Denmark affected tens of thousands of passengers. Denmark subsequently banned all civil drone flights in its airspace as it prepared to host a summit of European leaders in Copenhagen to discuss support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia and bolstering European security. Europe has been on high alert in recent weeks due to multiple drone sightings, as well as alleged incursions by Russian drones into NATO airspace over Poland and Romania, and the alleged violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets. Munich, a historic city of more than one million people, was already on edge after its famed Oktoberfest beer festival was closed for several hours earlier this week due to a bomb threat.
