Munich Airport experienced significant disruption on Thursday night due to multiple drone sightings, leading to a temporary closure that impacted nearly 3,000 passengers. At least 17 flights were cancelled or grounded, while another 15 arriving flights were diverted to nearby cities such as Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt. The airport, which suspended departing flights and closed two hours ahead of its usual midnight curfew, reopened in the early hours of Friday morning, with Lufthansa reporting that flight operations had since resumed according to schedule.

Federal police confirmed the drone sightings, which were first reported around 9:30 PM local time (19:30 GMT) and again an hour later. Officers, including ground personnel and police helicopters, were deployed to investigate but were unable to identify the type, size, or origin of the drones, nor their operators. For the thousands of passengers left stranded overnight, the airport provided amenities such as camp beds, blankets, drinks, and snacks. This incident occurred while Munich was hosting the annual Oktoberfest festival, which attracts millions of visitors, and followed a week where the city had already been on edge due to a bomb scare that temporarily closed the festival and the discovery of explosives elsewhere.

The Munich incident is the latest in a series of drone-related disruptions across Europe in recent weeks. Airports in Copenhagen and Oslo have also faced closures due to unidentified drones. Wider concerns have emerged following reports of drones spying on critical infrastructure in Germany’s northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, including a power plant, a university hospital, and a shipyard. Moreover, several incidents involving Russian entities have heightened tensions, with reports of approximately 20 Russian drones crossing into Polish airspace and Russian MiG-31 jets entering Estonian airspace. Denmark’s defense ministry also observed drones near its armed forces' locations.

These events prompted a European leaders' summit in Copenhagen, where security was a primary topic. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described Europe as being in its “most difficult and dangerous situation” since World War II, accusing Russia of "brazen violations" and engaging in "hybrid war" against the continent. Leaders discussed plans to bolster Europe's eastern defenses and debated a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund a major loan to Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted a "pattern" of Russian activity, stating, "Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies. We will not let this happen." Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo voiced strong support for a "drone wall"—a network of sensors and weapons to detect and neutralize intruding unmanned aircraft. French President Macron also emphasized the need for pre-alert systems and cooperation.

Despite the accusations, Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the drone incidents, including those over Denmark and Poland, and disputed claims of its fighter jets entering Estonian airspace. Russian President Vladimir Putin even light-heartedly dismissed suggestions he ordered drones to Denmark during a summit, stating, "I won't do it again." Meanwhile, German authorities have urged caution regarding drone sightings, with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt suggesting that not every drone controlled by foreign powers is automatically a threat and some incidents could be mere "provocation." NATO, in response to the increased regional activity, announced enhanced vigilance in the Baltic Sea, deploying a German air defense frigate to Copenhagen to strengthen Denmark’s airspace surveillance as part of its “Baltic Sentry” mission.