Munich Airport has been thrown into chaos for two nights in a row after drones were spotted flying dangerously close to its runways, forcing a complete halt to flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
The latest incident happened on October 3 around 9:30 p.m. when drones were seen near the runway. In just minutes, Europe’s second-busiest airport went into emergency mode — grounding planes, canceling flights, and diverting 23 incoming aircraft to other cities. By the end of the night, 6,500 travelers were affected and dozens of flights were either canceled or delayed.
Police say patrols saw two drones buzzing around the airport’s north and south runways but they vanished before officers could catch them. Helicopters were launched to hunt them down, but no details on who’s behind the stunt have surfaced yet.
Shockingly, this wasn’t the first time. Just a night earlier, drones entered Munich’s airspace, shutting down both runways for three hours and canceling more than 30 flights. Nearly 3,000 passengers were stranded that night alone.
The airport scrambled to help by handing out makeshift beds, blankets, water, and snacks — but for many stuck in the terminal, the Oktoberfest holiday spirit was long gone.
German officials are calling the repeated attacks a wake-up call. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt warned that the “race to defend against drones is getting harder,” while Bavaria’s state premier Markus Söder demanded police be given powers to shoot suspicious drones on sight. The German government is even rushing through a new law that would let the military take drones down directly.
The timing couldn’t be worse: the chaos hit during Germany’s Unity Day holiday weekend and the final days of Oktoberfest, which pulls in hundreds of thousands of visitors. Security was already on edge after a bomb threat briefly shut the festival earlier in the week.
And it’s not just Germany. Drone incursions have been plaguing airports across Europe — from Denmark to Norway to Poland. Some countries even point fingers at Russia, suggesting the war in Ukraine may be spilling over. Moscow has denied any role, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the message is clear: Russia wants to spread fear beyond Ukraine’s borders.
For now, Munich passengers can only hope the nightmare doesn’t repeat again tonight.
