A DHL cargo plane made an emergency landing in Hanover after colliding with an unknown drone shortly after taking off from Leipzig Airport in Germany on Tuesday evening.
German media outlet BILD reported that the mid-air collision took place at an altitude of 400 meters. The impact occurred approximately six kilometers away from the airfield shortly after the aircraft departed.
Investigators found a detonator and an unidentified suspicious substance on the downed drone, according to BILD. Following the collision, bomb disposal experts were called to inspect the device where it crashed near a Ukrainian Antonov aircraft.
Emergency landing and airport closure
The DHL freight plane safely diverted and executed an emergency landing at Hanover Airport. Meanwhile, emergency procedures triggered a complete shutdown of Leipzig Airport while authorities responded to the incident on the ground.
Leipzig Airport remained closed to all air traffic until 2 a.m. following the collision. Incoming and outgoing flights were rerouted to alternative regional facilities, including Nuremberg Airport, during the closure.
