Nuremberg Airport (NUE) suspended flight operations on October 13, 2026, after authorities received a report of a possible in-flight emergency aboard a Corendon Airlines passenger aircraft arriving from Corfu, Greece. German Air Force Eurofighter jets escorted the aircraft to the airport, where it landed safely.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 registered 9H-CXD and operating Corendon Airlines flight XR456, was scheduled to arrive at approximately 12:15 local time. It touched down at 12:16, according to Flightradar24 flight-tracking data.
Police cordoned off access roads to the airport shortly before the landing, while the airport suspended all flight operations.
“We received a report of an unclear air emergency,” Middle Franconia police said on X, adding that the aircraft had landed safely and that investigations into the cause were underway.
“We are working on the assumption of a suspected air emergency, but this is not yet confirmed,” a police spokesperson said, according to German newspaper Nordbayern.
🚨 Nuremberg Airport is closed until 14:00 UTC, according to Eurocontrol. The last flight to land was #XR456 at 10:16 UTC. Earlier, during its departure from Corfu, #XR456 transmitted squawk 7500 (hijacking) between 08:15 and 08:28 UTC. https://t.co/9inTVK07df
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 13, 2026
Eurofighters scrambled after emergency transponder code
An airport spokesperson told German public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk that the aircraft’s transponder had reportedly transmitted squawk 7500, the emergency code for a hijacking, during its approach to Nuremberg. The circumstances that triggered the alert remain unclear.
The German Press Agency (dpa) reported that Eurofighter jets accompanied the aircraft before its landing. An airport spokesperson confirmed their involvement and said the fighters had subsequently turned away.
The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) maintains two armed Eurofighters on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duty at each of its two air policing bases, Wittmund in northern Germany and Neuburg an der Donau in the south.
The aircraft are required to be airborne within 15 minutes of an alert to identify, monitor or escort aircraft presenting a potential airspace security concern, according to the Bundeswehr.
The airport remained closed while police continued their operation. Several incoming flights were diverted to Frankfurt, Memmingen, Stuttgart and Munich. The airport initially gave no indication of when normal operations would resume.
Suspected drone sightings disrupt Nuremberg Airport overnight
The emergency came just hours after a separate security alert disrupted traffic at Nuremberg Airport.
Between 02:00 and 04:00 local time on October 13, 2026, three pilots independently reported seeing an unidentified object during takeoff or landing. Police said the object could have been a drone.
The Nuremberg Airport Border Police Inspectorate launched search and detection measures in coordination with airport authorities and German air traffic control provider Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS). Police also deployed a helicopter, but officers could not locate or identify the reported object.
According to an airport statement, six flights were delayed by the overnight disruption, including two arrivals and four departures.
Two incoming aircraft were initially diverted to Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) and Prague Airport (PRG) as a precaution before continuing to Nuremberg.
Police opened an investigation into the reported sightings. Authorities have not established whether the overnight incident was connected to the subsequent emergency involving flight XR456.