Germany is seeing a growing number of dangerous encounters between drones and manned aircraft, according to the country’s air traffic control authority.

The German air traffic authority (DFS) reported that 208 incidents of unmanned aircraft posing a hazard to aviation had been recorded this year through November, up from 149 in the same period last year. This exceeds the previous annual peak of 161 incidents in 2024.

DFS said incidents are recorded when unmanned aircraft come dangerously close to civilian planes or aviation facilities.

Operations at major airports have been repeatedly suspended when drones are spotted in restricted zones. In most cases, the drone operators remain unknown, with authorities increasingly suspecting potential intelligence or terrorist involvement alongside inexperienced hobbyists.

Reports of drone sightings mainly come from pilots, air traffic controllers or newly installed detection systems operated by the police. DFS said the enhanced monitoring may have contributed to the higher number of reported incidents.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of drones were spotted near major airports. Frankfurt, Germany’s biggest airport, recorded 45 sightings in the first 11 months of 2025, up from 17 in the same period last year. A drone operator was detained.

Other airports with frequent sightings include Cologne/Bonn (14), Hamburg (13) and Munich (12). Berlin’s airport, previously a hotspot, had eight incidents.

German law bans drones near take-off and landing areas, requiring a minimum distance of 1.5 kilometres. Violations can be prosecuted as dangerous interference with air traffic, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

dpa