Berlin, Aug 5 - A DHL-operated cargo aircraft made an unscheduled landing in Hanover after striking an unknown object during its climb out of Leipzig/Halle airport in eastern Germany overnight, sources familiar with the situation said. The incident followed the discovery of a drone in the immediate vicinity of a runway at Leipzig/Halle, prompting an investigation by police and explosive ordnance teams.
Authorities said explosives experts were called to the southern runway and that the runway remained closed while the suspected device was assessed. A police spokesperson confirmed that the drone was found near the airport during the night but declined to provide additional details publicly.
According to a media report, X-ray images of the recovered drone showed a detonator inside; the report said the detonator was defective. The same report indicated the explosive material could have been a makeshift type reportedly producible using fertiliser and gasoline. Officials have not released technical confirmations of the explosive composition and have not provided a public forensic summary.
Operational disruption followed the discovery. Several flights, including at least one passenger service, were diverted overnight while the southern runway remained under examination. The cargo aircraft that struck the unknown object aborted its landing elsewhere and ultimately diverted to Hanover, where inspections revealed minor damage to the aircraft's nose section.
By the morning after the incident airport operations had returned to normal, a police spokesperson said. The affected southern runway was subject to the examination until explosives specialists concluded their checks.
Context and concurrent probes
German airports have been operating with heightened security measures after a string of unauthorised drone overflights at a variety of sites, including military installations, energy terminals, seaports and logistics companies. Federal police have stated that those overflights could have been organised by Russian agents, though authorities are continuing to investigate and have not issued a definitive attribution for the recent incidents.
European security agencies are also probing several incendiary devices concealed inside parcels that caught fire during 2024. Some of those devices were located at a DHL warehouse in Leipzig and in freight shipments moving through Europe. Officials said there is no confirmed link between the parcel fires and the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle at this stage; an Interior Ministry spokesperson noted investigators had not determined a connection.
Russia has denied involvement in the 2024 parcel incidents and in the more recent series of overflights.
DHL Group chief executive Tobias Meyer commented that the company was still analysing the overnight event while working to limit disruption for customers. Beyond the operational update provided by the airline's leadership, investigators and security agencies have kept details limited while forensic work continues.