Nuremberg Airport, the second largest in Bavaria by traffic volume, halted all flight operations on Tuesday following a security alert triggered in German airspace.
Eurofighter jets were dispatched to escort a passenger aircraft traveling from Corfu, Greece, to Germany due to an “aviation emergency,” according to reports from The Independent.
A spokesperson for the airport confirmed that the military aircraft have since returned to their base after the passenger plane landed safely in Nuremberg.
Authorities stated that they received a report concerning an “unclear air emergency” and initiated investigations to determine the cause, leading to a precautionary suspension of all takeoffs and landings.
According to Bild, earlier reports of drone sightings disrupted air traffic at the airport late Monday into Tuesday, between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM, when three pilots noted an object during takeoff or landing.
Michael Petzold, a spokesperson for the police, mentioned that measures taken, including the deployment of a police helicopter, did not lead to the identification of the reported object. The Nuremberg border police are currently conducting further investigations to clarify the events.
This incident follows an event two months prior, where a drone carrying an explosive device was discovered at Leipzig Airport. In that case, German authorities identified two suspects: a Russian citizen originating from Belarus and a Latvian citizen born in Russia.
The German government has asserted that Russia was behind the earlier incident and implemented several measures, including the closure of a Russian consulate and cultural center within the country.
The Kremlin responded, stating, “Berlin has deliberately engaged in a blatant provocation meant to escalate tensions in Russian-German relations. The actions of the German authorities will receive a firm response,” according to the Russian foreign ministry.
