Leipzig/Halle Airport shut down after drone with explosive device found

Published Aug 6, 01:56 PM UTC

On the night of August 4, 2026, Leipzig/Halle Airport was shut down for several hours after airport security detected an unauthorized drone in its airspace. Following the drone sighting, emergency personnel discovered a suspicious object on the south runway—a flying device with an attached explosive. The object was secured by emergency teams. The north runway reopened later that night, but the south runway remained closed into Wednesday morning. A passenger flight from Palma de Mallorca was diverted to Nuremberg. The airport, a major European cargo hub for DHL, saw heavy cargo traffic during the night. The Federal Police and airport operators are reviewing surveillance footage to identify the drone operator and the origin of the explosive device.

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