German airports were fully or partially closed 116 times in 2025 due to unidentified drone flights, with at least 226 drone sightings recorded during the year, according to a report by Der Spiegel citing calculations by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). By comparison, there were 118 such incidents in 2024, but only nine resulted in a full suspension of flights.
Total damages for 2025 were estimated at €160 million. In addition to €60 million lost as a direct result of cancellations, airport closures force airlines to reroute flights, adding expenses such as extra fuel, while airports lose fee revenue.
The largest incident in 2025 involved unidentified drones entering the airspace of Munich Airport on two consecutive days: Oct. 2 and 3, a Thursday and Friday. As a result, 81 flights were canceled and another 46 were delayed or rescheduled, affecting about 10,000 passengers.
Authorities were unable to determine who launched the drones, what type of UAV they were, or what their purpose was. A police representative quoted by Die Zeit said the “drones flew away before they could be identified.”
