First Poland, then Denmark, Romania, Norway, Sweden, and now Germany. An increasing number of unidentified drones are violating the airspace of EU countries, jeopardizing air traffic. Their origin is speculative, with the military and secret services suspecting Russia as the culprit.
On 09SEP25, Poland’s busiest airport, Warsaw (WAW) had to be closed for several hours due to a drone alert. This was followed by similar events in Denmark and Norway, on 22SEP25: Copenhagen (4-hour closure) and Oslo (3-hour closure) were temporarily shut down for safety reasons because drone flights had been reported.
Disrupting civil aviation
Due to the closure, Danish aviation authorities had to divert incoming aircraft, including cargo planes, and cancel around 100 flights, according to airport information. Around 20,000 passengers and numerous cargo shipments were affected by the temporary suspension of air traffic. According to the Danish National Police, there were more than 500 reports of drone sightings in Denmark in mid-September. Each one is being taken seriously, a police spokesman assured media. Aalborg Airport in the north of the country, was also affected, with airspace being temporarily closed.
Coordinated action
The drone intrusions were coordinated by a major cyberattack on the IT service provider, Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of the U.S. group RTX Corporation. This led to massive disruptions at several European airports, affecting security controls and check-in procedures including Berlin, Brussels, London-Heathrow, and Dublin.
The next drone attack followed last Thursday and Friday, causing the repeated shutdown of Munich Airport (MUC). There were 32 flights affected, including 17 cancellations and 15 diversions to Vienna, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt. Around 6,500 travelers were left stranded, some of whom were accommodated in hotels, but many had to spend the night on camp beds in MUC’s airport terminals. The airport provided them with blankets, drinks and snacks.
Air freight also affected
Numerous air freight shipments remained on the ground or had to be transported to Munich by truck from the afore-mentioned airports. It is currently unclear who will cover the additional costs.
On Saturday morning (04OCT25), shortly after 3 a.m., there was another drone sighting, confirmed by the federal police. “The drones immediately flew away before they could be identified,” a police spokesperson reported.
Security experts recognize a pattern: those responsible for the drone flights want to create uncertainty and frighten the population. At the same time, they want to test how well NATO countries are equipped to defend their airspace against such attacks. The fact that, according to current information, only three of the 19 drones that entered Polish airspace as a swarm in mid-September, could be shot down, points to glaring weaknesses in the airspace defense of NATO member states.
Poland, a member of the EU and NATO, is an important political and military ally of Ukraine, which is constantly under Russian attack. Poland also plays a key role as a logistical hub for Western military aid to Kyiv.
Munich drones are scaring Bavarians and Octoberfest visitors
Commenting on the escalating drone threats, EU Foreign Affairs Representative, Kaja Kallas spoke of the “most serious violation of European airspace by Russia since the start of the war [in Ukraine]”. There are signs “that this was intentional and not accidental.” And German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius compared the recent airspace violations by drones and fighter jets in the European NATO countries of Poland, Estonia, Scandinavia, Romania, and Germany, to the Cold War. “No shots are being fired, but there are provocations.” Currently, these are “hybrid attacks,” he exclaimed, like the destruction of underwater communication cables in the Baltic Sea by the Russian shadow fleet, which dragged their anchors across large areas of the seabed. While speaking to media, the minister blamed Russia for the recent drone threats: “No one else has an interest in sending large numbers of drones to Denmark or Poland.” Or to Munich, where hundreds of thousands of visitors are currently attending the traditional Oktoberfest.
