Danger in the Air - Drone Sightings at Airports

In the first half of the year, drones disrupted air traffic 19 times around the Saxon airports of Leipzig/Halle and Dresden. Eighteen unauthorized drones were spotted at Leipzig Airport, and one incident occurred in Dresden. The German Air Traffic Control (DFS) reported this in response to an inquiry from the German Press Agency.

According to the DFS drone report, Berlin Airport saw the most disruptions in the first six months, with 28 cases, followed by Frankfurt (27) and Bremen (23).

Nationwide, air traffic control recorded 145 instances of air traffic disruption caused by unauthorized drones. Ninety percent of the cases occurred in the vicinity of airports, even though drone flights are prohibited within a 1.5-kilometer radius of airports. 

“The majority of these incidents are reported by pilots during flight; other cases are detected by air traffic controllers in the control tower,” said DFS spokesperson Marian Günther. 

Complete airport closures possible

If a drone is detected directly in the approach and departure area, pilots could close either the affected runway or the entire airport. As a rule, a closure lasts at least 30 minutes. All measures are coordinated closely with the airport and the police.

An analysis by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) revealed that drone incidents last year resulted in costs running into the millions. In 2025, there were severe restrictions at the major hubs in Munich and Frankfurt. 

According to the study, 226 incidents were reported nationwide in 2025. Of these, 116 led to full or partial closures at 25 airports. The costs to air traffic were estimated at 60 million euros. When factoring in follow-up costs from delays and disrupted flight operations, as well as flight cancellations due to drone sightings, the total damage rises to as much as 160 million euros.

Saxony’s Police Respond with a Special Unit

The Saxony police have responded to the increasing number of drone flights by establishing a Coordination Center for Espionage, Sabotage, and State Terrorism. It is tasked with handling suspected cases of hybrid threats. 

According to the State Criminal Police Office, the coordination center began operations on September 1, 2025. Since then, police statistics indicate that 20 “security-related drone overflights of critical infrastructure sites, military facilities, and defense contractors” have been recorded in Saxony. These included drone sightings at airports, but also, for example, at industrial facilities.