Drone alarm over Hanover: Airport had to close again!

Drone alarm over Hanover: Airport had to close again!

On November 6, 2025, there was another disruption in air traffic in Northern Europe that no one will soon forget. Hanover Airport was forced to suspend flight operations for 45 minutes the evening before after a pilot reported a drone approaching to land. This was the fourth drone sighting within a week and is once again putting the authorities in trouble. A nice flight from Frankfurt to Hanover even had to be diverted to Hamburg. The lockdown was lifted at 10:45 p.m., but some flights landed late, which did not put travelers in a good mood.

The situation is not only tense in Hanover. The Belgian Interior Ministry began investigating several drone sightings over airports and military bases on Tuesday evening. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said they would investigate the number of drones involved. These events led to an emergency meeting of the National Security Council in Brussels called for Thursday. After all, around 80 flights were canceled at Brussels-Zaventem Airport and 400 to 500 passengers had to spend the night at the airport - certainly not a pleasant situation.

Airports in shock

The headlines about drone sightings never stop. Air traffic at other German airports is also suffering from the increasingly frequent sightings. According to German Air Traffic Control (DFS), 81 disabilities have already been registered in the airport area in the first eight months of 2024. Of these, air traffic had to be stopped at short notice seven times. The number of unreported drones in restricted airspace is estimated to be significantly higher, which creates additional concerns for those responsible.

Another cause for concern: work on the “systematic detection” of drones at airports has stalled. Financing issues, which need to be resolved by a working group of the interior and transport ministries, have led to this important work being halted. “We urgently need a solution!” demands Björn Simon, CDU transport politician, and criticizes the federal government for its inadequate response to the threat.

Technological challenges and solutions

Because the questions surrounding drone detection and defense are urgent. Drone detection tests were carried out at Frankfurt Airport in 2020, but the results were sobering - existing systems were only partially convincing. In order to be prepared against this danger, a combination of different sensor technologies could represent a solution. Air traffic controllers often have little opportunity to detect unmanned flying objects on radar - most reports come from pilots.

A ray of hope could be the development of a drone interception system called “Falke”, which was initiated by the Helmut Schmidt University of the Bundeswehr and is funded with 1.8 million euros. A prototype has already been developed and a startup is ready to bring the drone to market. However, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Transport have not commented on this project, but have confirmed that the Federal Police has the means to detect and defend against drones.

The situation surrounding the drone sightings shows us once again that we have to be vigilant. The increasing threat to public safety cannot be overlooked, and it is up to those responsible to act quickly so that the skies soon remain free of uninvited guests. Travelers have already been through enough and deserve a relaxed and safe trip.

Current events are a clear sign that we urgently need to improve our handling of new technologies. Let's stay excited to see what the next few days and weeks will bring.

You can find more information about the incidents in Hanover in this article Time read about it, while the general challenges at German airports are analyzed by daily news be treated in detail.