Explosive-laden drone found at Leipzig airport

German authorities are investigating after a drone carrying an explosive device was found overnight at Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting runway closures, flight diversions and a response by bomb-disposal specialists.

Saxony police said an airport employee spotted the device near the runway shortly before midnight, close to parked Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft. Police deployed an explosives-disposal robot to examine the object and later removed the detonator from what authorities described as “an unknown explosive device.”

The north runway reopened at 01:55 local time, after being closed for about two hours. The south runway remained closed, though Al Jazeera reported that it was out of use because of scheduled maintenance. Authorities said on Wednesday that flights were operating normally and that there was no danger to travellers or airport employees.

Several flights, including a passenger aircraft, were diverted to other airports after a flying object was reported near the airport. In a separate incident around the same time, a second unidentified flying object collided with a cargo aircraft after the plane aborted its landing because the runway was closed. The aircraft diverted to Hanover, where officials found slight damage during an inspection. Authorities have not said whether that object was connected to the drone found near the runway.

The investigation is being led by prosecutors in Saxony who handle politically motivated and “extremist” crimes, according to Al Jazeera. Officials have not identified any suspects or attributed responsibility.

Saxony Interior Minister Armin Schuster described the episode as a “very serious security incident.” German authorities have released few details about the device or the circumstances in which it was found.

Leipzig/Halle Airport, in eastern Germany, is a major hub for DHL and is used by the German military and NATO allies to transport military goods. It also serves as a base for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines, which carry most of Ukraine’s aerial cargo.

Photos from the scene showed police technicians working with an explosives-disposal robot near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft parked at the airport, Al Jazeera reported, though authorities have not said the aircraft was the intended target. A police spokesman told the BBC that the explosive-laden object had been spotted close to parked Antonov planes.

German airports and other sensitive sites have been on heightened alert after a series of unauthorised drone flights in recent months over military bases, airports, energy terminals, seaports and logistics companies. Police have warned that the overflights could have been organised by Russian agents.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, told Welt TV: “Who else could it be but Russia?” Russia has not commented on the Leipzig/Halle incident.

The airport has been linked to previous security concerns. In July 2024, a parcel burst into flames on the ground at Leipzig/Halle before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo plane, one of a series of parcel fires targeting the UK and European Union countries. Authorities said the parcels contained explosive devices triggered by electronic timers hidden in vibrating massage pillows. There are suspicions the incidents were sabotage linked to Moscow, the BBC reported. Russia has denied involvement.

Last year, a Chinese woman was convicted of passing information about flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig/Halle Airport to a man spying for Beijing.