The German authorities have stated that they are investigating two “very serious security incidents” at Leipzig-Halle Airport, which led to flights being temporarily suspended and diverted, and which have raised suspicions of Russian involvement following similar incidents in recent years.
The Leipzig Police Department stated that late in the evening of 4 August, an “unidentified flying object” was spotted near the airport, leading to several aircraft, including a passenger plane, being diverted to other airports.
A drone carrying a ‘suspicious object’ was also discovered near one of the two main runways.
The Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Saxony State Criminal Police, who are leading the investigation, stated that the drone found on the runway contained an “unknown explosive device”.
“With the support of the Federal Police and a bomb disposal robot, the object was examined and the detonator was removed,” the statement said.
Operations on the airport’s northern runway resumed during the night of 5 August, but the southern runway, where the object was found on the ground, remains closed whilst the police carry out their investigation, the authorities said.
“The events at Leipzig Airport constitute a very serious security incident,” said Armin Schuster, State Minister for the Interior.
On 5 August, Reuters reported, citing a source, that a DHL cargo plane had collided in mid-air with an unidentified object shortly after taking off from Leipzig-Halle Airport, leading to an unscheduled landing in Hanover.
Several German media outlets, including Bild, also reported that a drone had been spotted in the immediate vicinity of the Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft.
Footage released by several German media outlets shows the aircraft on the runway, with emergency vehicles nearby.
A NATO official told Radio Free Europe that the military alliance could not confirm reports that a drone had been spotted near the Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig Airport. The official said that NATO was aware of the statement by the Leipzig police, but that details of the incident should be provided by the German authorities.
Leipzig-Halle Airport is a major logistics hub for DHL, the German international shipping giant.
In 2024, a parcel bound for the UK exploded at DHL’s logistics centre on the airport grounds. Similar parcels exploded in the UK and Poland. The investigation concluded that this was an operation orchestrated by the Russian security services. A trial is currently underway in Lithuania involving five alleged members of a sabotage network, who are suspected of involvement in the parcel incident.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, there has been an increase in the number of UAV sightings in Germany. In the first half of 2026 alone, the German Air Navigation Service (DFS) recorded 145 disruptions to operations at German airports caused by unauthorised drone flights. In most cases, it is not possible to identify the operators of these drones.