Authorities confirmed midday on Wednesday that a drone discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport overnight into Wednesday had been equipped with an explosive device. The drone was found by a airport employee in the cargo operations security area, near the “South Track” landing/takeoff strip. It was noted that the drone contained an unknown “explosive device.” German Federal Police, assisted by an explosive ordnance robot, investigated the object, and the Federal Police’s USBV unit successfully removed the trigger from the explosive device.
Meanwhile, a second unidentified flying object reportedly collided with a cargo aircraft after the plane took off again, having been grounded earlier due to the closure of the runway. Minor damage was observed on the aircraft following its landing in Hanover.
The entire flight operation was halted overnight after the drone was discovered. However, following a thorough inspection of the airport, the “North Track” landing/takeoff strip was released later that night. The “South Track” was scheduled to be unavailable on Wednesday due to maintenance. Passenger traffic remains unaffected.
The investigations into the incident have been taken over by the Saxony Center for Extremism (ZESA), affiliated with the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Police Terrorism and Extremism Defense Centre (PTAZ) within the State Criminal Police Office of Saxony.
