Reported air emergency forces police to seal off Nuremberg airport
Members of a police special operations unit (SEK) are on the move within the Nuremberg airport grounds in Nuremberg, Germany, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo)


German police temporarily closed Nuremberg’s Albrecht Duerer Airport and suspended flights Tuesday following a suspected in-flight emergency on a plane arriving from Greece, authorities said.

"We are operating under the suspicion of an in-flight emergency, though this has not yet been officially confirmed," a police spokesperson said, adding that investigations are ongoing.

The heavy police deployment was triggered shortly before the scheduled landing of a flight from the Greek island of Corfu. According to airport officials, the aircraft landed safely.

The German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported that an emergency code was squawked while the plane was airborne. German Air Force Eurofighters were subsequently scrambled to escort the aircraft.

Tuesday’s security scare followed a disruption early this morning when three airline pilots independently reported a possible drone sighting near the airfield during takeoffs and landings.

Border police, working with air traffic control and airport management, immediately launched a search involving a police helicopter, but no drone was found.

The incident caused minor delays to six flights – two arrivals and four departures – before normal operations resumed.