Leipzig airport explosive drone disarmed near Ukrainian cargo aircraft
German police defused a drone carrying an explosive device near Antonov planes as investigators examine a separate midair collision.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
German police disarmed a Leipzig airport explosive drone found near the south runway and parked Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft, authorities said. The incident shut both runways and diverted flights, while investigators also examined whether a separate object that struck a freight aircraft could have been a second drone.
Regional police and prosecutors said an airport employee found the drone with an unknown explosive device near the south runway at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Police removed its detonator using an explosives-disposal robot and later carried out a controlled explosion, according to BBC News.
What happened at Leipzig/Halle Airport?
The drone was discovered close to Ukrainian Antonov aircraft parked at the airport, a major freight hub that also handles DHL operations, the BBC and NPR reported. Authorities have not said that an Antonov aircraft was the intended target, Al Jazeera reported.
Both runways were initially closed after a flying object was reported shortly before midnight, and several flights were sent elsewhere, NPR reported. The north runway reopened after about two hours; the south runway was already due to be unavailable for scheduled maintenance, according to NPR.
A freight aircraft aborted its landing because of the closure, then collided with an unidentified airborne object and diverted to Hannover, where officials found slight damage, police and prosecutors said, as reported by NPR. Saxony's interior minister said investigators were seeking parts of a possible second drone, but authorities had not established that the object which hit the aircraft was connected to the device found by the runway.
Who is under investigation?
German authorities had not publicly identified a suspect or assigned responsibility. Saxony prosecutors responsible for politically motivated and extremist crime were leading the inquiry, Al Jazeera reported.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called the episode a “hybrid attack scenario” and said an explosive-equipped drone at an airport represented a new threat. He did not offer an attribution, according to NPR.
What is known about the Antonov aircraft's cargo?
The cargo question remains unsettled in public reporting. Ars Technica reported that Germany's Interior Ministry denied accounts that the Antonov planes were carrying weapons or munitions and described them as empty. United24 Media, citing a confidential police report and reporting by WDR, NDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung, said one Antonov aircraft had military ammunition aboard.
Neither account establishes the drone's intended target, and authorities have not resolved that question publicly. Officials said there was no danger to passengers or airport staff, and flights were operating normally later on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.