Shortly before 11.40pm on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, an unidentified flying object was reported in the area of Leipzig/Halle Airport. Officers dispatched to the scene located a drone near an Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft operated by Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines, with a package fitted with an ignition device attached to the unmanned aircraft. The airport, one of Germany’s and Europe’s main cargo hubs, suspended all air traffic. A NATO spokesperson confirmed the incident in the early hours of the morning, stating that the investigation is being conducted by the German authorities. The Federal Police deployed a bomb disposal robot to examine the object, which was found on the southern runway and was later also subjected to an X-ray inspection. After around two hours, air traffic resumed on the northern runway, while the southern runway remains closed to allow further checks to continue. Several flights, including cargo services, were diverted to other airports during the night.
The Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation), the federal body responsible for investigations into aviation accidents, said it would not open a file on the case because the episode does not fall within the definition of an air accident under its remit. However, investigators have not officially confirmed details about the nature of the device found on the drone. According to the newspaper Bild, the package contained explosive material with an ignition device that was faulty enough to prevent detonation, while Olaf Hoppe, spokesperson for the Saxony police, only confirmed that the object had been made safe by the Federal Police, without validating the details reported by the tabloid.
The temporary closure of the airport was followed by a second incident. A DHL cargo aircraft that had just taken off from Leipzig collided with an unidentified object about six kilometres from the airport at an altitude of 400 metres. The aircraft nevertheless continued to Hannover, where it landed safely with minor damage to the front section. DHL chief executive Tobias Meyer confirmed the event.
Lower Saxony police have classified the collision as an offence against state security, without ruling out the possibility of sabotage. Investigations are continuing in parallel in Saxony and Lower Saxony, with coordination between local and federal police. Leipzig/Halle, the main European hub for DHL Aviation, AeroLogic and Amazon Air, has also hosted Antonov Airlines operations since 2022, following the destruction of Hostomel Airport. The Ukrainian carrier operates at the German airport under NATO’s Salis programme (Strategic Airlift International Solution) and is building a new maintenance hangar, scheduled for completion in 2027.
The episode forms part of a trend reported by Deutsche Flugsicherung (German air traffic control organisation), which recorded 225 air traffic disruptions caused by drones across Germany in 2025, compared with 161 the previous year. Munich Airport has also been closed several times because of similar incidents, including two suspensions within 24 hours in October 2025 and another episode on 30 May 2026. In October 2025, the German government approved a reform of the Federal Police Act clarifying the power of law enforcement agencies to shoot down drones deemed dangerous.
A.M.B.
