Unidentified Drones Disrupted Airport Operations in Spain

Majorca Airport has temporarily suspended operations due to a drone spotted in the sky, which led to the rerouting of several flights.

This is reported by Bild.

Due to the incident, one of the planes was unable to land in Mallorca and was forced to go to the neighboring island of Menorca due to a lack of fuel.

The airport resumed operations in less than an hour, but dozens of flights were delayed by up to an hour and a half. According to the Enaire air navigation service, at least one drone of unknown type and purpose was spotted in the sky over the island.

In response, the Spanish authorities launched an investigation and tightened regulation of the use of drones. In particular, a ban was imposed on drone flights within a five-kilometer radius of an airport without a special permit.

It is worth noting that in recent months, drone activity in Europe has increased significantly, especially in the vicinity of airports and closed areas such as defense industry facilities and military bases.

For example, on October 2, 2025, flights of unidentified drones shut down the airport of the German city of Munich late in the evening.

Due to security restrictions, 17 flights were unable to take off from the airport, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. In addition, 15 flights that were supposed to arrive were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt.

Due to the growing number of such incidents, the German government has approved draft amendments to the Federal Police Act that would authorize law enforcement to use means to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that violate airspace or pose a serious security threat.

As part of this initiative, the German Federal Police has created a special unit to combat drones, as well as a coordination center for government, police, and partner countries, including Ukraine, to share experiences and conduct joint exercises.

In addition to Germany, the Latvian police have been granted the right to forcibly land or shoot down drones to prevent a possible attack. Law enforcement officers will now have the right to use special means to stop the movement of a remotely controlled device (drone) in the air, water or on the ground if it threatens public safety, human life or health, the security of protected facilities or critical infrastructure.

This will be allowed if the drone is being used illegally or if there is a suspicion of a possible criminal offense.