MUNICH — Flight operations at Munich Airport, Germany’s second-busiest aviation hub, were heavily disrupted Sunday evening after an emergency evacuation of the air traffic control tower forced a sudden halt to all takeoffs and landings.
The disruption began at exactly 8:33 PM local time (1833 GMT) when air traffic controllers reported a strong, intense smell of burning smoke inside the control tower. Acting out of an abundance of caution, officials immediately ordered the complete evacuation of the facility.
With the tower emptied, German Air Traffic Control (Deutsche Flugsicherung) promptly suspended operations. A Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) was issued, initially locking down the airfield to inbound and outbound traffic.
Inbound Diversions and Ground Stops
The sudden closure triggered immediate airspace gridlock, forcing multiple inbound flights into holding patterns before they were systematically diverted to alternative airfields across Germany and central Europe. Meanwhile, aircraft preparing for departure were held at their gates, leaving passengers stranded on the tarmac and inside terminals.
Emergency crews and airport firefighters rushed to the scene to investigate the source of the odor.
Investigation Yields No Active Fire
According to an airport spokesperson and statements provided by the Federal Police to the German Press Agency (dpa), responding emergency teams found no active fire or visible smoke inside the structure.
“It was not a fire and no flames were shooting out,” a police spokesperson noted during the initial sweep, characterizing the situation as highly unclear but managed.
Resume of Flight Operations
By late Sunday evening, some flight schedules indicated that parts of the airport were attempting a partial resumption, with Lufthansa announcing a small number of late-night arrivals. However, severe residual delays, flight cancellations, and scheduling backlogs are expected to ripple well into Monday morning.
Authorities are continuing to thoroughly inspect the tower’s ventilation and electrical systems to isolate the exact cause of the burning smell before cleared controllers can fully return to normal operations. Passengers traveling through Munich are being strongly urged to verify their flight status with airlines before heading to the airport.
