Operations resumed at Munich Airport on Saturday morning after drone sightings forced overnight flight suspensions, though travelers were warned to expect ongoing delays.
"Capacity is now gradually being ramped up again," an airport spokesman said. He advised passengers to check the status of their flight with the relevant airlines before travelling to the airport.
Air traffic at Germany's second-largest airport was suspended for the second night in a row on Friday evening as a precautionary measure after drones were spotted.
Police reported two drone sightings in the area of the northern and southern runways shortly before 11 pm (2100 GMT) on Friday. "The drones immediately flew away before they could be identified," a spokesman said.
The airport said 46 flights were unable to depart, while 23 arriving flights were diverted and 12 flights to Munich were cancelled, affecting about 6,500 passengers.
Some had to spend the night at the airport, where camp beds, blankets, drinks and snacks were provided.
The airport stressed that when a drone is spotted, the safety of travelers is the top priority.
Friday's closure came after a drone was spotted over a nearby facility of the German military, or Bundeswehr, and after drone sightings at the airport shut down operations on Thursday, disrupting travel for thousands of passengers.
It is unclear who is behind the drone flights and what their motives are. But Bavarian Premier Markus Söder linked Thursday's incident in Munich to other drone sightings across Europe.
"This was not an isolated case," he told Welt TV. "It is the security situation we are facing."
Europe has been on high alert following a string of drone incidents recently, including sightings in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein in late September. Authorities are investigating suspicions that the drones flew over critical infrastructure there.
In Denmark, numerous drones have been sighted around airports, prompting temporary closures, while in Norway authorities have reported drones over the Ørland airbase, where US-made F-35s are stationed.
According to the German air traffic control, disruptions caused by drones at airports across the country have increased significantly.
Just over a week ago, the service reported 144 disruptions caused by drones between January and August 2025. In the same period last year, there were 113 incidents, up from 99 in 2023.
In Munich alone, there have been six sightings so far this year and 35 at Frankfurt Airport, Germany's largest hub.
"When drone activity disrupts flight operations, it's not just a safety issue - it damages confidence in the reliability of air travel," said Ralph Beisel, chief executive of the ADV German airports association. "Passengers rightly expect airports to be safe, both in the air and on the ground."
The sightings have triggered discussion among lawmakers as to how to better protect airports, with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt calling for the involvement of the armed forces in the fight against drones.
Dobrindt intends to present a draft for a new aviation security law soon. "We are in a race between the drone threat and drone defence," he said, adding, the race must be won.
Bavaria's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said the state police should be allowed to shoot down drones "in the event of acute danger."
His counterpart in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul, emphasized that there could, however, be no blanket answer as to whether a drone should be shot down.
Reul told dpa that for a possible shoot-down, it was crucial that the measures are "legally sound, proportionate and technically effective."
Aviation experts are meanwhile calling for mandatory labelling of legal drones.
"We need complete and mandatory visibility of all legal drones so that they can be quickly distinguished from illegal ones," Gerald Wissel, chairman of the European Association for Unmanned Aviation, told dpa.
Wissel said he does not consider German airports to be sufficiently protected from drones. He said a "virtual fence" is needed at all airports to prevent unpredictable drones from flying closer.
Drones are likely to be a topic of discussion at a meeting hosted by Dobrindt with ministers from several European countries in Munich on Saturday.
