A drone was observed near a German airport for nearly two hours, causing one cargo flight to be diverted and delaying several scheduled departures and arrivals. Initially, the southern runway was closed, and operations were redirected to the northern runway. By approximately 4:00 AM, the airport completely halted operations. Twenty-one minutes later, the drone was sighted again over the TUI Fly company building, prompting another suspension of air traffic. Operations resumed at 5:20 AM.
According to reports from Der Spiegel, airport staff and police repeatedly spotted the drone, but the Federal Police’s technical equipment failed to detect any signals from it. The German flight safety agency also could not determine the drone’s location. It is speculated that the drone may have been specially equipped to evade existing anti-drone detection systems.
An internal police report indicated that the nature of the incident could not rule out “hybrid activity.” However, authorities have not established a connection between this case and a previous drone incident at Leipzig Airport. The report further suggested that the drone might differ from commercially available drones detectable by current anti-drone technology, particularly given its prolonged flight duration of about two hours.
Context
- Recently, Germany acknowledged that it faces hybrid warfare daily. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt noted that this includes espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, and covert actions by foreign states aimed at destabilizing Germany or causing direct harm. Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter stated that the aggressor country, Russia, employs all means of hybrid warfare and state terrorism.
