Air traffic temporarily suspended at an airport in Germany due to suspicious objects

Air traffic at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany was halted on Tuesday evening and remained partially disrupted on Wednesday morning after an unidentified flying object was spotted and another object was found on the airport runway, police said.

In a statement, police said, “Shortly before midnight, an unidentified flying object was seen near the airport,” confirming that several cargo planes and a passenger aircraft were diverted to other airports.

Police added that an object was also discovered in the southern runway area, prompting authorities to deploy a specialized bomb-disposal robot and launch an investigation.

Although air traffic has resumed, part of the airport remained closed on Wednesday morning.

A police spokesperson told Agence France-Presse that the situation had not yet been fully verified, but emphasized that there was “no danger to the public.”

In recent months, the airport has been linked to two security incidents. In July 2024, a package at a DHL shipping center caught fire before being shipped by air, and the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency publicly accused Moscow of being behind the incident.

In September 2025, a Chinese citizen was convicted of espionage for providing a former aide to a far-right member of parliament with information about flights, cargo, and passengers at the airport, particularly those related to the transport of military goods and individuals “with ties to a German defense industry company.”