Leipzig Airport: German airport runway closed after drone ‘with detonator’ found | World | News

An airport in Germany has closed a runway after a drone and a detonator were reportedly found near a Ukrainian plane. The suspected device was discovered close to a parked Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport late on Tuesday night, prompting bomb disposal specialists to rush to the scene.

German authorities reportedly classified the drone as a possible explosive device after it was found carrying an unknown substance and what was believed to be a detonator. Officials shut the airport’s southern runway while bomb disposal teams assessed the suspected device. The runway is used by logistics giant DHL as a major cargo hub.

Police were also investigating reports of an unidentified object that may have been linked to the incident.

Bomb disposal experts were expected to destroy the suspected device using a remotely operated robot, although it was not known whether the controlled detonation had gone ahead. Investigations into the incident remain ongoing.

Several flights were disrupted overnight, with some aircraft diverted, including a passenger service from Mallorca that was rerouted to Nuremberg Airport. Normal operations resumed on Wednesday morning.

According to German newspaper Bild, a cargo plane had to abandon its landing before striking an unidentified object at an altitude of around 1,300ft (400 metres), about six kilometres from the airport.

The aircraft later landed safely at Hanover Airport, where inspectors discovered minor damage to its nose.

Police in Lower Saxony are treating the incident as a state security matter and have not ruled out the possibility of sabotage.

The incident comes amid heightened concerns over unauthorised drone activity in Germany. Federal police have previously warned that some overflights of military sites, energy facilities, ports and logistics hubs could have been organised by Russian agents, although Moscow has denied any involvement.

In May, flights at Munich Airport were temporarily suspended following a possible drone sighting, while operations were again halted last October after several suspected military drones were reported.