Munich Airport Grounds Operations Again: Drones Spark Widespread Disruption
Germany’s second largest airport found itself at a standstill for the second consecutive night on October 3, 2025, following new reports of drones in the airspace. The suspension, starting at 9:30 pm local time, came “preventatively until further notice due to unconfirmed drone observations,” according to the Bavarian airport.
- In total, 69 flights were cancelled or rerouted.
- 23 arriving flights were diverted and 12 were cancelled.
- 46 departures were either cancelled or postponed.
- 6,500 passengers were impacted overall.
The airport expressed hope that operations could resume by 5:00 am on Saturday. The disruptions follow a previous incident the night before, which forced the cancellation of over 30 flights and left nearly 3,000 travelers stranded and cared for at the airport.
If you thought it was just a Munich problem, think again. Similar incidents have popped up at airports in Copenhagen and Oslo, making Munich the biggest EU hub yet to completely halt its operations over the drone threat.
Uncertainty, Security—and Political Tension
Was it a flock of drones, or just a bad night for airport radar? Initially, officials couldn’t confirm any drone presence early in the evening. However, a police spokesperson told AFP that “two simultaneous drone identifications by police patrols occurred just before 11:00 pm around the North and South runways.” High alert, but still, a fog of uncertainty.
As Germany was marking its national holiday—the anniversary of the reunification of the former East Germany (GDR) with West Germany in 1990—the atmosphere couldn’t have been more tense. Add in the fact that on the previous night, several drones had been formally identified, including over the army’s airfield in Erding (near Munich) and above Munich’s civilian airport, and you’ve got a recipe for heightened nerves and strong political reactions.
Berlin Calls Out the Threat, While Europe Looks to Moscow
The German Minister of the Interior, Alexander Dobrindt, didn’t mince words. In an interview with Bild, he referred to the situation as a “threat.”
“From now on, we need to shoot down the drones instead of waiting,”
he insisted. He’s pushing for a revision of Germany’s aviation security laws, set to begin on Wednesday, so that the authorization to neutralize drones—currently a police-only privilege—might soon extend further.
But Germany is far from alone in its suspicions. Multiple EU countries, including Poland and Romania (which recently experienced their own drone incursions), as well as Estonia (a Russian neighbor where NATO intercepted three Russian warplanes last month), are suspecting Moscow might be behind the repeated overflights of sensitive sites. The European Union is even floating the idea of an “anti-drone wall.” Moscow, for its part, has flatly denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, other European airports—in Denmark, Norway, and Poland—have also hit pause on air traffic due to similar unidentified drone presences. Copenhagen Airport was closed on the 22nd, and Danish air bases and other airports dealt with drone flyovers on the 25th. Coincidence, or something bigger?
Speculation, Skepticism, and Satire: Public Reaction Runs the Gamut
The situation has unleashed a wave of public commentary—from anxious observation to full-blown sarcasm and conspiracy theories:
“Like the Nord Stream incident, the Zaporizhzhia power plant strikes, the missile in Poland in 2022, the Kostiantynivka market bombing (September 2023)… Etc etc. Is Europe’s willingness to go to war now the miracle cure for economic doldrums? The rise of the REAL right? And for the immigration problem?”
“This obsession with comparison… Every country says it’s worse elsewhere… Every country that wants war badmouths the enemy… So, media and government, beware… Be careful with information that leaps from suspicion to certainty… the fakes peddled by politicians… Be wary of warmongering media… Cross-check your facts!”
“This Russian plot is truly unstoppable. They have agents everywhere, can unleash drones from a van absolutely anywhere and shut down our airports, they’re untraceable, undetectable, appear and disappear without leaving a trace, and on top of that, they’re impossible to neutralize—we haven’t caught a single one yet. Nobody told us the Russians were THAT good.”
“So what’s your theory to explain all these drone overflights in Germany? Let me guess: it’s a German plot, flying drones over their own airports to make us believe it’s the Russians, am I right? The Danish did the same, the Poles, the Romanians, etc… A classic false flag operation, right? Or maybe all the countries coordinated together…”
Chef_Chaudard: “He obviously knows it’s yet another ‘NATO/UKRAINIAN’ conspiracy, like that story of the Estonian MiG-31s posing as Russian jets… But we’re not fooled, we know it’s actually a ‘false flag’ operation led by the Germans, Danes, etc… Don’t fall for this NATO conspiracy—the truth is out there!”
Fox Mulder
- Uncertainty reigns about who’s behind the drone incidents.
- Political rhetoric and public skepticism are escalating.
- Airports and passengers are caught in the crossfire of nerves, suspicion, and disrupted travel plans.
As Germany, the EU, and possibly you (if you’re trying to catch a flight through the region) watch this unfold, one thing is clear: whether the phantom drones are really enemy sabotage, a security lapse, or the fodder for satirical internet debates, the sky above Munich just got a whole lot less friendly.
