After a string of incidents that shut down airports in Denmark and Norway, mysterious drones on Thursday night disrupted operations at Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss Airport, forcing more than 30 flights to be canceled or diverted at the height of the city’s annual Oktoberfest. Operations resumed after several hours.
The drones were spotted near the airport’s airspace beginning at 9:30 p.m. local time and again about an hour later, according to German federal police. At least 17 flights were canceled and 15 others rerouted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, affecting at least 3,000 passengers. Police said it remained unclear what type of drones were involved, their size or their source due to the darkness.
As in last week’s incidents in Aalborg and Copenhagen in Denmark and in Oslo, Norway, the origin of the drones is unknown. Still, despite denials, Russia remains the prime suspect in the recent spate of mysterious drone activity across Europe.
Last month, Russian drones crossed into Polish territory before being shot down, and Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace in two separate incidents. NATO officials said at the time that President Vladimir Putin appeared to be “testing the alliance.”
Denmark described last week’s Copenhagen incident as the most serious attack yet on its critical infrastructure, linking it to suspected Russian drone incursions and other disruptions across Europe. The country temporarily banned all civilian drone flights.
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Vladimir Putin and the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen
(Photo: AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov, AP Photo/Norbert Ofmanski, Photo: Ida Marie Odgaard / RITZAU SCANPIX / AFP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on social media of being behind the drones in Copenhagen and Oslo, though he offered no evidence. Putin dismissed the claims. NATO leaders said they are coordinating with Denmark and other security agencies and have raised alert levels in the Baltic Sea in response.
The disruptions come after weeks of turbulence for European aviation. Last month, a cyberattack crippled check-in systems at London’s Heathrow as well as airports in Berlin and Brussels, with delays lasting for days.
Drone sightings have previously caused major airport shutdowns, including at London’s Gatwick in 2018, when hundreds of flights were canceled during peak holiday travel, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.
First published: 08:34, 10.03.25