A drone fitted with a bomb sparked a security alert at a German airport - with one plane crashing into an unidentified object mid-air after it had to abort its landing.German police deployed a bomb disposal robot after the UAV was found on the tarmac near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle Airport, sparking alarm and forcing the diversion of numerous flights. Authorities first reported on Wednesday morning that a 'security-related incident' had temporarily halted flights'Shortly before midnight, an unidentified flying object was sighted near Leipzig-Halle Airport, prompting the diversion of several aircraft - including a passenger plane - to other airports', they said in a statement.A passenger plane from Mallorca as well as several cargo planes heading there had to be sent to other locations.One aircraft that had to abort its scheduled landing then collided mid-air with an unknown object nearby but later landed safely elsewhere, a government spokesman said.The airport in eastern Germany plays a key role in the transport of military goods, including by the German military and NATO allies, and also serves as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.Ukraine ambassador Oleksii Makeiev voiced suspicion that Moscow was behind the incident, telling Welt TV: 'Who else could it be but Russia?' A bomb disposal robot deployed by police at German airport Leipzig-Halle after a drone was found near a Ukrainian plane Police forensic technicians prepare to deploy an explosive-disposal robot near a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig-Halle Airport, Germany, August 5, 2026 A Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane stands at Leipzig/-alle Airport on August 5, 2026Video footage from a local news agency showed the bomb disposal robot near an Antonov plane painted with the Ukrainian colours yellow and blue and with the words 'Be Brave Like Kherson' written on the side, a reference to a Ukrainian region battered by Russian strikes.Bild reported that the plane that collided with an unknown object mid-air was a DHL cargo aircraft that was hit about four miles away, sustaining minor damage on the nose that was discovered when it later landed safely at Hanover airport.Regular traffic at the airport resumed in the early hours of Wednesday but only on the northern runway, while investigators looked for clues on the southern runway. An interior ministry spokesman later said: 'I can confirm that the drone was found at Leipzig-Halle Airport. Beyond that, I unfortunately cannot say anything at the moment.'Regarding the mid-air incident, he said that a plane 'was meant to land in Leipzig but then had to abort the landing'.'It then collided with an object,' he said, adding that it landed safely but declining to provide further information.Germany and other European countries have repeatedly observed drones flying over sensitive sites such as airports, military bases and industrial plants.Authorities in Germany, one of Ukraine's biggest military supporters, have said they suspect Russia of orchestrating many of the incidents as part of a campaign of sabotage, espionage and disinformation.In July 2024 a parcel burst into flames on the ground at Leipzig airport before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo plane, part of what security services treated as a suspected Moscow-linked arson sabotage plot. The drone was discovered close to a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle Airport late last night Leipzig-Halle Airport was forced to close its runway after a drone was found near a Ukrainian plane Bomb disposal experts were dispatched shortly after the drone's discovery at Leipzig-Halle Airport around midnight last night near the parked planeRussia has denied being behind any such incidents.Last year a Chinese national was convicted for passing on information about flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig-Halle airport to a man spying for Beijing.Ukraine's ambassador Makeiev also pointed to the 2024 incident involving a DHL parcel in Leipzig.'Indeed, Russia has long been waging this hybrid war,' he said. 'Yet the word 'hybrid' somehow downplays the fact that Russia is waging war not only against Ukraine but also against Europe.'In May, Munich Airport halted all flights after a possible drone sighting, just one day after a Russian drone hit an apartment block in Romania.Munich Airport again was forced to close last October after several 'military' drones were spotted hovering over the travel hub.Federal police confirmed the drone sightings, but said no information on the type and size of the devices could be provided. That same week, German authorities said that they were investigating claims that unidentified drones may have spied on critical infrastructure in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. Multiple drones were spotted on September 25 over a power plant in the state capital of Kiel, as well as near a university hospital and a shipyard in the port city, according to German news outlet Der Spiegel.