For many years now infringement of drones in the region of and within airport boundaries has been a topic in the news. During the last few months of this year, the news seems to have come to head in Europe with increasing numbers driving cause for concern. Euronews1 reported there have been 24 airports across 12 countries impacted by drones since the beginning of September. Belgium had the most drastic infringement with 10 sightings in one week that included drones of different sizes flying in formation. Overall, the results to date for 2025 reflect a 4x increase over last year. In Denmark, the civil aviation authority reported 107 illegal drone flights in 2025, up from 141 in 2024. DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH) reported 192 flights in 2025, up from 141 in 2024. Let’s go a little deeper into the DFS situation, with a focus on Munich Airport in late September during the busy Octoberfest travel time period.
Munich airport under siege by drones?
In might have seemed that way in early October when drones caused the airport to close for hours two days in a row. On the evening of the 3rd of October, sightings were reported starting a 8:30 pm. These initial reports were in the towns surrounding the airport and the state police immediately launched extensive search operations with a large number of officers in the vicinity of the airport. At the same time, the federal police immediately carried out surveillance and search operations on the airport grounds. By 9:05 pm, drones were reported near the airport fence and at around 10:10 pm, the first sighting was made on the airport grounds. As a result, flight operations were gradually suspended at 10:18 pm for safety reasons. The preventive closure affected both runways from 10:35 pm onwards. The sightings ended around midnight. According to the airport operator, there were 17 flight cancellations and 15 diversions by that time. Helicopters from the federal police and the Bavarian state police were also deployed to monitor the airspace and conduct searches.
Unfortunately the sightings continued on the following day impacting more flights and as a result airlines cancelled around 170 flights to ensure safety.
Police involvement
The Bundespolizei Flughafen München shared with Global Airspace Radar that they received reports of drone sightings from DFS, the airport operator, corporate security, the airport fire brigade, several airlines, and even a pilot. The security-relevant incidents were recorded and documented by the Federal Police.
Unfortunately, the drone activity occurred again later in the month on the 18th of October. Several suspicious drone activities were observed in and around Munich Airport, including by security officers and airport staff. As a result, DFS suspended air traffic for approximately 30 minutes at around 10 pm. The northern runway was closed again at 11 pm for 30 minutes. A police helicopter was deployed to search the area, but neither drones nor suspicious persons were found.
Various institutions are responsible for the detection and defence against drones in Germany, including the DFS, state aviation security authorities, airport operators, state police, and federal police. These measures are carried out in close coordination among all involved agencies, based on joint emergency plans. The Bavarian State Police are currently conducting further investigations. The German Federal Police were also highlighted in a local German language newspaper, but for security reasons we cannot include any comments from their perspective.
DFS perspective
When drone sighting at the airport occur DFS has the task to guide aircraft safely, smoothly, and efficiently. This also includes informing pilots about sighted drones and, if necessary, suspending takeoff and landing clearances at airports for safety reasons. In Munich, there were disruptions on both runways, forcing the complete suspension of flight operations.
For years, drone flights have been occurring repeatedly near airports – even though this is prohibited within a 1.5 kilometre radius of airports. Drones can endanger takeoffs and landings, so an immediate reaction is required. As soon as they become aware of a drone sighting, the tower only issues clearances for the unaffected area of the airport. In extreme cases, takeoffs and landings are completely suspended and they coordinate all activities closely with the airport and the police.
The police are responsible for detecting, investigating, and seizing drones. Additionally, matters such as the protection of German airspace fall under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Defense (Bundeswehr) and the Ministry of the Interior.
DFS has been recording the number of drone-related obstructions monthly since 2015 (see table below). Their internal reporting system documents all known obstructions to aircraft caused by drones or model aircraft. The majority of reports are submitted by pilots, while other cases are identified by the Federal Police at the airport and/or by air traffic controllers in the tower. On average, around 90 percent of the observed disruptions occur in the vicinity of an airport.
In recent weeks and months, there has been an increase in drone incidents at airports, although experience shows that these are always higher in the summer months this year has trended higher then the historical results. DFS has been sharing informational campaigns to educate people of the dangers of flying drones in places they should not and/or at times they should not. Not all drone infringement is malicious, in some case the pilots are simply unaware, but this doesn’t make them any less dangerous.
The digital platform for unmanned aviation is supported by DFS and the Federal Ministry of Transport to provide extensive educational information and maps that enable users to see where drone flights are permitted and where they are not. The penalties for unauthorised drone flights at airports are severe in Germany. They can be classified by a court as a “dangerous interference with air traffic” and this constitutes a criminal offence. This is described in Section 315 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) as “dangerous interference with rail, ship, and air traffic” and can result in a prison sentence up to ten years!
This topic won’t be going away in the near future and it’s level importance cannot be overlooked. More education needs to be provided, more technology to be able to track drone flight needs to be deployed and lastly, counter-UAS solutions need to become more commonplace in locations with critical infrastructure. The reality of drones for good vs drones for malicious intent is a rising challenge in our current world affairs.
