A fire alarm at Munich Airport’s main tower on Sunday evening triggered an evacuation and a temporary halt of flight operations after smoke/odor was detected, but firefighters found no fire.

Authorities, including the Federal Police, said the situation remained unclear and under investigation as they assess what caused the odor and why the tower was evacuated.

Travel disruption followed the incident, with ongoing delays and some resumption of service as boards showed many late flights and thousands of travelers faced disruption.

The event occurred after the Pentecost holidays in Bavaria, with most major travel already concluded for the day; Munich Airport operates both a main and a smaller Vorfeld (auxiliary) control tower to manage traffic if needed.

Reporting from ZEIT Online centers on the Munich Airport incident and the emergency response, with standard navigation and sharing options accompanying the coverage.

Munich Airport ranks among Europe’s busiest hubs, listed as eighth in flight movements for 2025, underscoring the potential impact of any disruption on operations.

The disruption affected thousands of travelers, contributing to significant delays and the possibility of cancellations given the airport’s large annual passenger volume of around 50 million.

Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) oversees air traffic control from Munich and four national centers; one control center is located at the airport to oversee ground movements and air traffic.

Overall, the event caused a temporary disruption but regular operations were restored with limited impact on flight schedules after the initial halts.

Initial investigations pointed to a faulty fan component in the tower’s system; a replacement was made and several aircraft were diverted to other airports, though some flights later returned to Munich.

Air traffic control staff initially moved to the smaller Vorfeld tower but have since returned to the main tower as normal operations resume and safety assessments continue.

Passenger reports indicated diversions to airports such as Prague for a Lufthansa flight from Oslo, with some planes arriving in Prague and awaiting onward routing back to Munich.