Leipzig-Halle airport flights diverted after object found

Flights to Leipzig-Halle airport in eastern Germany were diverted overnight after a “security related” incident involving at least one unidentified object, German police said Wednesday.

Police said a passenger plane from Mallorca and several cargo planes bound for the airport were sent to other locations after a flying object was spotted nearby at about 11:40 pm on Tuesday. An object was later found near the south runway and a bomb disposal robot was sent to the site.

Police did not confirm whether the robot detonated the object or whether it was the same object seen earlier. A police spokesman told AFP the incident “does not pose any danger for the public”.

Bild reported that the object found at the airport was a drone with a detonator and possibly explosives, near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft. Police did not immediately confirm the newspaper’s report.

Bild also reported that another cargo plane later collided with an unknown object in mid-air about six kilometres from the airport. The plane landed safely at Hanover airport, where minor damage was found on its nose section, according to the newspaper.

Regular traffic at Leipzig-Halle resumed in the early hours of Wednesday, but only on the north runway, while investigators searched for clues on the southern runway.

German and other European authorities have repeatedly reported drones over sensitive sites including airports, military bases and industrial plants. German officials have said they suspect Russia of orchestrating many such incidents as part of sabotage, espionage and disinformation activity. Russia has denied being behind any such incidents.