Drone carrying explosive device found at Leipzig/Halle airport, police confirm
German police have confirmed the discovery of a drone carrying an explosive device in a security area of Leipzig/Halle Airport's cargo operations zone. The drone was spotted late Tuesday night by an airport employee near the southern runway, close to parked Ukrainian Antonov transport planes.
In a separate incident, a second unidentified flying object collided with a cargo aircraft after the aircraft had taken off again following a temporary runway closure. The aircraft, which later landed in Hanover, sustained minor damage, according to authorities.
The explosive device found on the first drone was examined with the assistance of the Federal Police and an explosive-detection robot. The Federal Police's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit successfully removed the detonator, and the southern runway remains closed as a precaution. Flights on the northern runway resumed at 01:55 local time (23:55 GMT Tuesday).
Saxony's Interior Minister, Armin Schuster, described the incident as a "very serious security threat," underscoring the heightened alert status at German airports.
Germany has seen a series of unauthorised drone flights in recent months over sensitive sites, including military bases, airports, energy terminals, and logistics companies. Federal police have warned that some overflights could have been organised by Russian agents, but no definitive attribution has been made in this case.
The incident comes amid broader concerns about potential sabotage. In July 2024, a parcel burst into flames on the ground at Leipzig airport before being loaded onto a DHL cargo plane, with suspicions of Moscow-linked sabotage. Russia has denied involvement in those incidents. Additionally, last year a Chinese woman was convicted for passing information about flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig-Halle airport to a man spying for Beijing.
Police have not released further details about the nature of the explosive device or the second object, and investigations are ongoing. The airport, a major hub for logistics group DHL, continues to operate with restricted access.
