Update — August 15, 2026: German authorities have since described the drone found on the ground and the object that struck the cargo plane as connected, part of one coordinated attack, with unconfirmed reports saying a second, camera-equipped drone struck the plane. The article previously reflected that investigators had not established any connection between the two incidents, which has since changed.
Update — August 13, 2026: The diverted flight has been identified as European Air Transport Leipzig Flight 9LE, a Boeing 757-23N(SF) (registration D-ALEU), flying from Marseille Provence Airport, France. The article previously reflected the flight’s airline, origin and flight number as unclear, which has since changed.
El País identified the aircraft as a DHL cargo plane, while The Associated Press described it only as a freight plane. The aircraft struck an unidentified object after aborting a landing at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport, then continued to Hannover, where officials found slight damage.
Authorities had not confirmed as of August 6 what object hit the aircraft, including whether it was a drone. Separately, an airport employee found a drone near the south runway carrying an unknown explosive device. German authorities have since described the two incidents as connected, characterizing the episode as one coordinated drone attack rather than unrelated events; unconfirmed reports say a second drone fitted with a camera, intended to film the attack, was the object that collided with the plane. The remains of that second drone have still not been recovered, so investigators have not physically confirmed its identity.
Key facts
- Diversion: The cargo aircraft struck an unidentified object after aborting its landing at Leipzig/Halle, then diverted to Hannover.
- Aircraft condition: The aircraft was intact and had only slight damage; the reviewed reporting did not provide a confirmed injury count.
- Separate discovery: A drone carrying an unknown explosive device was found near the south runway.
- No confirmed link: Investigators had not established that the recovered drone was the object that struck the aircraft or that the incidents were connected.
Why the plane went to Hannover
Both runways at Leipzig/Halle were closed after a flying object was sighted near midnight Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. Several flights were diverted, including a passenger flight, before the north runway resumed operations shortly before 2 a.m.
The cargo aircraft aborted its landing because the runway was closed. It then collided with an object and diverted to Hannover. The aircraft was intact, had only slight damage and remained in Hannover as of August 6, AP reported. The reviewed reporting did not provide a confirmed injury count.
The flight has since been identified as European Air Transport Leipzig Flight 9LE, a Boeing 757-23N(SF) (registration D-ALEU), flying from Marseille Provence Airport, France.
What investigators found near the runway
An airport employee found a drone near the south runway with an unknown explosive device. Police removed its detonator for examination.
Germany’s federal prosecutors took over the airport-drone case from state prosecutors on August 6 and described it as a serious attack on the country’s transportation and logistics infrastructure.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called an explosive-equipped drone at an airport a new threat scenario. Officials had not publicly identified who was responsible or what the drone’s intended target was.
Investigators were still searching around Leipzig/Halle for debris from the object that struck the cargo plane as of August 6.