Drone alarm at Bremen Airport: Where is the protection?

Drone alarm at Bremen Airport: Where is the protection?

On Sunday evening, November 4th, 2025, a worrying incident occurred at the airport: a drone was spotted in the Neuenlander Feld area, which led to a short-term interruption of flight operations. Witnesses reported that the unmanned aerial vehicle was observed shortly after 7 p.m. A police patrol subsequently confirmed the sighting, which led to all air traffic being suspended in coordination with the federal police and air traffic control. One plane had to be diverted to Hamburg, while four planned flights suffered minor delays.

The investigation into the identity of the drone operator is ongoing, but so far the police lack concrete information. The issue of the drone threat will also be on the Senate's agenda on Tuesday. A response from the interior authority to a request from the CDU parliamentary group is being discussed. This answer points out hybrid attacks that pose a serious threat to the security-relevant infrastructure in the state of Bremen.

Hybrid threats in focus

Hybrid attacks, which include various methods of destabilizing a state by foreign powers, are a central theme of the upcoming session. This includes not only economic pressure and cyber attacks, but also targeted changes in the climate of opinion. Interestingly, there is currently no specific situation report on such hybrid threats in Bremen. However, according to information from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, a situation report on hybrid threats is prepared for the entire federal territory every two weeks.

The situation remains tense for the security authorities in Bremen: The police and the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution are responsible for providing intelligence, but so far no special countermeasures to detect or defend against drones are available. The flawed picture is reinforced by limited intelligence on suspicious drone flights, which are often carried out using commercially available missiles and cameras.

Cooperation in the North

In the meantime, the northern German states have agreed to cooperate to develop skills in using drone technology. It will be examined which means are necessary to set up effective detection and intervention measures. The Senate sees the federal government as having a crucial responsibility to quickly develop these protection-relevant capabilities and make them available to the federal states.

The events surrounding the drone sighting at the airport make it clear that there is an urgent need for action. The need to rethink the security architecture in Germany in the face of changing threats is felt today more than ever. A robust concept is required to avoid such incidents in the future and to ensure aviation safety.