Germany: New airport disrupted by unidentified drone

Hanover Airport in northern Germany faced significant disruption overnight as an unidentified drone forced the closure of its runways for 90 minutes. The incident, which occurred early Tuesday morning, caused delays for at least six flights, including those bound for Turkey, Egypt, Greece, and Spain. One cargo plane from Paris was diverted to Nuremberg.

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The investigation into the drone overflight at Langenhagen airport on Tuesday has been taken over by the central police judicial service of Hanover.

This latest event raises concerns as it occurred just one week after an explosive drone was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The proximity and nature of these incidents have prompted German authorities to investigate the possibility of "hybrid attacks." This term encompasses a range of destabilizing activities such as sabotage and espionage, which have reportedly increased since the start of the war in Ukraine and are often attributed to Russia.

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hybrid activity cannot be ruled out

Police in Hanover have taken over the investigation into the drone sighting, but have released few details to avoid compromising the inquiry. The weekly Der Spiegel, citing an internal police report, suggested that "hybrid activity cannot be ruled out." The report also indicated that the drone's ability to fly undetected for approximately two hours suggests it was not a standard commercial model.

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new dimension of threat

Following the Leipzig incident, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had warned of a "new dimension of threat" and alluded to a potential "hybrid attack scenario" without naming suspects. Germany has become a primary military supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

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hybrid attack scenario