Bus Driver Grounds Explosive Drone at Leipzig Airport

An airport bus driver at Leipzig/Halle Airport spotted and grounded a low-hovering explosive drone near parked Ukrainian An-124 freighters shortly before midnight on Tuesday, likely preventing a serious explosion.

German security sources put the payload at roughly 800 grams of Semtex-type explosive with a detonator, more than the estimated 300-450 grams used in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

The detonator failed, which officials say is the sole reason the device did not explode.

Drone Went Undetected for Hours

Camera footage reviewed by investigators showed the drone had already been on the secured apron for hours, with one report citing an entry time around 19:28.

The airport's drone-detection systems failed to register it, and the device appeared modified to reduce detectability.

Bundespolizei bomb-disposal specialists used a robot to remove the detonator and conduct a controlled detonation of the remaining charge.

Strategic Airport for Ukraine and NATO

Leipzig/Halle has served as the main European base for Ukrainian Antonov Airlines' An-124 heavy freighters since Russia destroyed the Hostomel facility in 2022.

The airport also hosts NATO's SALIS strategic airlift program and is DHL's largest European air hub.

Early reporting citing a confidential police report suggested one An-124 had recently carried military ammunition from France, but the Interior Ministry, airport operator and SALIS officials later denied this, saying the aircraft were empty and the last relevant ammunition flight was July 29.

Second Aircraft Struck Mid-Air

A DHL cargo Boeing 757 inbound from Marseille aborted its landing due to the runway closure and then collided with an unidentified airborne object about 6 km out at roughly 400 meters altitude, sustaining minor nose damage before diverting safely to Hanover.

Authorities are treating the possibility of a second drone seriously.

Flight operations were suspended for several hours, with about 19 flights diverted.

Federal Investigation and Russia Suspicion

Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor took over the case given its gravity, treating it as suspected attempted explosive detonation and dangerous interference with air traffic.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called it a hybrid-attack scenario representing a "new quality of threat" and did not rule out foreign involvement, while some lawmakers have pointed more directly at Russia.

The incident echoes a July 2024 case at the same airport, in which incendiary devices mailed from Lithuania and later linked to Russian military intelligence proxies were assessed as a test run for mid-air cargo fires.