Explosive-laden drone found beside Ukrainian cargo jet at Leipzig/Halle Airport; flights diverted
Security staff at Leipzig/Halle Airport discovered a small drone fitted with a homemade, nitrate-based explosive charge on the apron overnight, only meters from a parked Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft. A police bomb-disposal robot was deployed and removed the detonator.
Air traffic was disrupted for several hours around midnight, with flights — including at least one passenger plane — diverted to other airports. In a separate incident, an unidentified object struck a cargo plane that had aborted its landing; the aircraft suffered minor damage and landed safely at Hannover.
German authorities have opened a state-security investigation into possible sabotage. Leipzig/Halle serves as a key European hub for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines, which moves humanitarian relief and defense cargo across the continent.