A DHL Express cargo aircraft was forced to break off its approach and divert to Hannover Airport after striking an unidentified object near Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ), one of the largest express-freight hubs in Europe. The incident, which unfolded overnight between 4 and 5 August 2026, coincided with a major security alert after a drone carrying an explosive device was discovered near the airfield.
According to the Leipzig police directorate, an unidentified flying object was first sighted at around 23:40 local time on 4 August. Several aircraft, including at least one passenger flight, were diverted as a precaution. A Marabu Airlines Airbus A320neo inbound from Palma de Mallorca was among those redirected, landing instead at Nuremberg. Federal police later located a suspicious object near the airport's south runway and examined it using a bomb-disposal robot.
Separately, a DHL-operated freighter collided with an unidentified object as it maneuvered near the airport. The crew abandoned the landing and carried out a precautionary diversion to Hannover, where ground inspectors found minor damage to the aircraft's forward section. No injuries were reported. Investigators are examining whether the freighter struck a second drone and whether the two events are connected.
Reuters, citing a source familiar with the incident, reported that the cargo jet diverted after the collision. DHL Group chief executive Tobias Meyer addressed the disruption during the company's second-quarter 2026 investor call on 5 August. "We've got plans for cases like this, and we'll try to make sure that the influence on our customers will be as low as possible," he said.
Flight operations at Leipzig were partially suspended during the response. Movements resumed on the north runway at around 01:55 on 5 August, while the south runway remained closed as the investigation continued. German federal authorities opened a high-level inquiry into both the explosive device and the mid-air impact.
Leipzig/Halle is a critical node in the global air-cargo network and serves as DHL Express's principal European hub, handling a large share of the company's overnight freighter movements. Any disruption there can ripple across express supply chains, which is why operators build contingency plans to reroute aircraft and protect delivery commitments.
The appearance of a modified drone carrying an explosive device near an active runway underscores growing concern across European aviation about unauthorized drone activity around airports. Incursions by small unmanned aircraft have repeatedly forced temporary airspace closures at major hubs in recent years, and authorities have expanded counter-drone measures in response. In this case, the proximity of the device to cargo operations prompted an especially cautious response.
As of the latest updates, authorities had not publicly confirmed exactly what the DHL freighter struck, and the damage to the aircraft was described as minor. The investigation into the source and intent behind the drone remained ongoing.
Sources: Simple Flying, AeroTime, Reuters. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. By Marco Bianchi.
Comments
Loading comments…