A drone equipped with a suspected detonator was found near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting the overnight closure of its southern runway and causing flight diversions.
Security operation unfolds
The unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted around midnight near a stationary Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane at the major DHL freight hub. Specialised ordnance teams were deployed, and German Federal Police used robots to conduct a controlled detonation of the object, which reportedly carried an unidentified substance.
Officials have not confirmed whether the controlled explosion was completed, and active inquiries into the breach continue. Police in Lower Saxony have designated the event as a state security offence, noting that targeted sabotage has not been ruled out.
Flight disruptions and potential related incident
The security breach severely impacted regional flight operations overnight. Multiple arriving flights were diverted, including a passenger flight from Mallorca rerouted to Nuremberg Airport, before normal operations resumed by morning.
Law enforcement is now investigating a separate, potentially related aerial disruption from the same night. According to German newspaper Bild, a freight aircraft was forced to abandon its final descent and perform a go-around six kilometers from the airfield after striking an unknown airborne object at roughly 1,300 feet. The plane landed safely at Hanover Airport, where technicians identified minor damage to its nose.
