Drone alarm at Munich Airport - operations stand still again!

Drone alarm at Munich Airport - operations stand still again!

On October 3, 2025, there was another drone alarm at the airport in Munich, which led to a temporary standstill of all air traffic. According to a report by Mirror Operations were suspended for safety reasons after several sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles were reported. To ensure the safety of all passengers and airport staff, authorities decided to suspend aviation activities for a period of time.

Drone alarms are now a well-known phenomenon at German airports. As the daily news reported, there were 81 disruptions in air traffic in the first eight months of 2024 alone, with flight operations being temporarily suspended seven times. This phenomenon not only causes inconvenience for travelers, but also raises questions about the safety and surveillance of airspace.

Drone problem in Germany

Experts estimate the number of unreported drones in restricted airspace to be significantly higher. Current information suggests that work on the systematic detection of drones at airports has been stopped for the time being because there are unresolved financing issues that need to be clarified by a working group of the interior and transport ministries. This situation is causing concern and criticism, especially from CDU transport politicians like Björn Simon, who are calling for a quick reaction from the federal government.

The problem is not new. Tests for drone detection were carried out at Frankfurt Airport as early as 2020. Unfortunately, the existing systems have proven to be ineffective. Experts advocate a combination of different sensor technologies to significantly improve the detection of unmanned flying objects. Currently, air traffic controllers can hardly detect drones on radar screens - most reports still come from pilots.

Technological advances and challenges

A ray of hope in the problem could be the “Falke” drone interception system, which was developed by the Helmut Schmidt University of the Bundeswehr and is supported with funding of 1.8 million euros. This system has the potential to act as a solution to the increasing use of drones in airport and security areas. However, it remains to be seen whether and when such technologies will actually be used. Until then, the situation remains tense and poses an ever-increasing threat to public safety.

Unfortunately, Munich Airport is not alone in its challenges - the entire nation is confronted with the growing threat from drones. According to the Mirror app Many users have also had technical difficulties with the general accessibility of the website. However, these problems do not appear to be directly linked to the incidents at the airport, but at the same time they could cloud the picture of the effectiveness of such services.

The affected passengers and the airport itself hope for quick solutions and better control of the airspace so that such disruptions can be prevented in the future. As long as the issue of drone alarms remains a serious issue in Munich and other cities.