'Security-related' incident diverts flights at German airport

Several flights at Germany's Leipzig-Halle airport were diverted after a "security-related" incident involving an unidentified flying object and an object found near the southern runway.

In a brief statement on Wednesday morning, police said that "shortly before midnight, an unidentified flying object was sighted near Leipzig-Halle Airport, prompting the diversion of several aircraft – including a passenger plane – to other airports".

A passenger plane from Mallorca as well as several cargo planes heading there had to be sent to other locations.

"In addition, an object was detected near the southern runway, which was initially examined by the Federal Police, a process that involved the deployment of an explosives disposal robot," police said.

They did not confirm whether the object was detonated, or if it was the same one spotted previously. A police spokesman told AFP the incident did "not pose any danger for the public".

The Bild newspaper said the object found at the airport was a drone with a detonator and possibly explosives, discovered near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft, but police contacted by AFP did not immediately confirm the report.

Video footage from a local news agency showed the bomb removal robot near the Antonov plane with the words "Be Brave Like Kherson" written on the side, a reference to a Ukrainian region battered by Russian strikes.

Bild also reported that another cargo plane later collided with an unknown object in mid-air about 6km from the airport but landed safely at Hanover airport, where minor damage was discovered on the nose section.

Regular traffic at the airport resumed in the early hours of Wednesday but only on the north runway, while investigators looked for clues on the southern runway.

Germany and other European countries have repeatedly observed instances of drones flying over sensitive sites such as airports, military bases and industrial plants. Authorities in Germany, one of Ukraine's biggest military supporters, have said they suspect Russia of orchestrating many of the incidents as part of a campaign of sabotage, espionage and disinformation. Russia has denied being behind any such incidents.

In July 2024, a parcel burst into flames on the ground at Leipzig airport before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo plane, part of what security services treated as a suspected Moscow-linked arson sabotage plot. Last year, a Chinese national was convicted of passing on information about flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig-Halle airport to a man spying for Beijing.