Germany's Nuremberg Airport suspends flights after suspected aviation emergency

Germany's Nuremberg Airport temporarily suspended flight operations on Tuesday after police received a report of a suspected aviation emergency shortly before a flight from the Greek island of Corfu was due to land.The aircraft landed safely, but operations remained suspended as police secured the airport and investigated the incident, according to Reuters."We received a report of an unclear air emergency," police said in a statement on X. "In the meantime, the aircraft has landed safely in Nuremberg. Investigations into the cause are currently underway."An airport spokesperson confirmed that the plane had landed safely and that Eurofighter jets had accompanied it before landing, dpa reported.

The suspected emergency had not been confirmed, a police spokesperson said.According to The Express, the flight was operated by Corendon Airlines and was expected to arrive at around 12.15 pm (local time).Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft landed at 12.16 pm (local time).

Possible drone sighting reported overnight

The latest disruption followed reports of a possible drone sighting near the airport overnight.Bavarian police said three pilots had independently reported seeing an object during take-off or landing procedures between 2 am and 4 am local time on Tuesday.

Border police, airport management and German air traffic control launched measures to investigate the reports and locate the object.A police helicopter was also deployed, but officers were unable to verify the sighting, police spokesperson Michael Petzold said, according to Anadolu Agency."The measures carried out, which included among other things a police helicopter, did not lead to the verification of the reported object," Petzold said.The Nuremberg Border Police Inspectorate has launched further investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the reported sightings.

Germany on alert over drone incidents

The reports come amid heightened concern in Germany over drone incidents near airports and other critical infrastructure.In August, authorities discovered an explosives-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport near Ukrainian cargo aircraft.German officials accused Russia of carrying out the attempted attack as part of what they described as hybrid operations intended to spread fear among the public and pressure Berlin to reduce its support for Ukraine.However, Moscow denied the allegations.Nuremberg, the second-largest city in Bavaria after Munich, is home to Albrecht Duerer Airport.