Nuremberg Airport Suspends Flights After Pilots Report Suspected Drone
Why It MattersSuspected drone sightings that halt operations at a regional European airport show how a single unverified report can interrupt traffic and force joint police, air traffic control and airport security responses.
Nuremberg's Albrecht Dürer Airport in Germany suspended flight operations on Tuesday, citing an "aviation emergency." The airport said in a statement on its website that operations had been suspended for the time being. A later notice said Corendon Airlines flight XR456, which had departed Corfu, Greece, for Nuremberg, had landed safely.
German police said on X that they had received a report of an unclear air emergency and that the plane later landed safely in Nuremberg, with investigations into the cause underway. Police said the reports came from three different pilots during takeoffs and landings between 2 am and 4 am local time, and multiple reports indicated that the pilots had sighted a suspected drone near the airfield.
German air traffic control, airport management and border police launched a joint security sweep of the airport premises, and flight operations were halted as a precaution. Police spokesperson Michael Petzold said the measures, which included a police helicopter, did not verify the reported object. The Nuremberg border police inspectorate is conducting further investigations to clarify the events.
