49 minutes ago
A drone sighting and a suspicious object disrupted overnight operations at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The incident forced diversions, kept one runway shut and prompted a security investigation.
Berlin,UPDATED: Aug 5, 2026 15:50 IST
Flight operations at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport were disrupted overnight after a drone was sighted and a suspicious object was found near the facility, authorities said on Wednesday. Several flights, including one passenger plane, were diverted, and one of the airport's runways remained shut on Wednesday morning.
Police said the flying object was spotted near the airport shortly before midnight, while an anti-explosives robot was sent to examine an object near the south runway. German authorities said an investigation was under way, but did not give further details.
According to police, flights using the airport's other runway resumed shortly before 2 am. However, the south runway remained closed on Wednesday morning.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Leonard Kaminski said a drone was found at the airport, but declined to elaborate because of the ongoing investigation. He also did not comment on German media reports that the drone was seen near a Ukrainian plane and that possible explosives and a detonator were attached to it.
Kaminski said a plane that was due to land at Leipzig/Halle aborted its approach, apparently collided with something, and later landed at Hannover, another airport in Germany.
Leipzig/Halle is a major cargo hub, and Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft are among the planes based there. In 2024, an incendiary device caught fire at a logistics centre at the airport and set a freight container ablaze. Western security officials suspect that incident was part of a plot linked to Russian intelligence, and the flight it was meant to be loaded on had been delayed.
Asked whether there was any direct link between that 2024 case and the overnight incident, Kaminski said he did not see one at this point. The latest disruption at Leipzig/Halle led to flight diversions, a runway closure and an ongoing investigation centred on a drone and a suspicious object near the airport.
With PTI Inputs
- Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 5, 2026 15:50 IST
