Nuremberg airport temporarily closed after Eurofighter escorted Corendon flight

On Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Nuremberg Airport was temporarily closed after a Corendon Airlines passenger aircraft arriving from Corfu was escorted to the airfield by military Eurofighter fighters. After several hours of security checks, flights were allowed to resume, but authorities have not yet identified the reason the alert was triggered.

The aircraft, operating under the registration X R456 on the Corfu–Nuremberg route, was scheduled to land at about 12:15 local time and touched down one minute later. Before landing the crew transmitted a signal to air traffic control via the onboard transponder, the device that exchanges information with air-traffic services.

A police spokesperson said, "We assume that this is an in-flight emergency. However, this has not yet been confirmed." Security services opened an investigation following the incident.

Airport operations and response

The airport confirmed the landing took place "without incident" but did not explain what caused the distress signal. While the military jets shadowed the passenger plane, airport and security personnel monitored the situation and imposed restrictions on other flights in Nuremberg's airspace while safety procedures were carried out.

Several hours later the alert was lifted, yet officials have not publicly clarified what prompted the military escort. Authorities examined the event and assessed that it did not represent a serious threat to passengers.

This is not the first time Nuremberg Airport has faced security concerns: on the morning of June 17 crews on three aircraft reported a suspicious object allegedly hovering near the airport. Police conducted a search supported by a helicopter but "The search yielded no results. We did not find a drone or anything else," said police spokesperson Michael Petzold. It remains unclear whether that earlier report is connected to the October incident.

Photo: press material from the event