Fighter jets deployed and airport shut in ‘aviation emergency’ over German city of Nuremberg
Por Maira Butt — – World RSS Feed
Fighter jets deployed and airport shut in ‘aviation emergency’ over German city of Nuremberg
Eurofighter jets were deployed to escort the aircraft which was reportedly travelling from Corfu in Greece to Germany
Maira Butt Tuesday 13 October 2026 12:31 BST
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Germany‘s Nuremberg airport has suspended all flight operations because of an aviation emergency, it said on Tuesday.
The flight was reportedly travelling from the Greek island of Corfu and was due to land when the police operation took place.
In a statement on its website, the airport did not further specify the reason and said more information would follow.
“We received a report of an unclear air emergency,” police said on X, adding that in the meantime, the aircraft had landed safely in Nuremberg. “Investigations into the cause are currently underway.”
Eurofighter jets were deployed to escort the aircraft, an airport spokesperson said, adding that the military planes have since returned to base, according to German publication Nordbayern.
The German Press Agency said that an emergency code had been issued beforehand.
Suspected drone sightings had disrupted air traffic at the airport overnight into Tuesday between 2am and 4am, according to Bild. Three pilots independently reported seeing an object during takeoff or landing.
Border police, airport management and German air traffic control conducted a security sweep with takeoffs and landings halted as a precaution.
“The measures carried out, which included among other things a police helicopter, did not lead to the verification of the reported object,” police spokesperson Michael Petzold said.
“The Nuremberg border police inspectorate is now conducting further investigations to clarify the events.”
open image in galleryThe airport is one of Germany’s busiest, and is the second-busiest in Bavaria after Munich. Around four million passengers pass through its terminals every year.
The incident comes two months after a drone carrying an explosive device was found at Leipzig Airport, which Germany blamed on Russia. The explosive-laden drone, which was defused, had prompted a counterterrorism investigation and fears of another hybrid attack.
Authorities identified two suspects in connection with the incident.
One Russian national from Belarus and a Russian-born Latvian national were suspected to have been responsible, according to the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which collaborated on the report with broadcasters NDR and WDR.
It underpinned allegations by the German government, which said that Russia had been behind the incident, resulting in a series of orders being issued in response including the closure of a consulate and a Russian cultural centre in the country.
“Berlin has deliberately engaged in a blatant provocation aimed at escalating tensions in Russian-German relations. The German authorities’ actions will be met with a firm response,” the ministry said in a statement at the time.
More to follow on this breaking news story…
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