Air traffic was disrupted in Hanover, in the northern German state of Lower Saxony, after an unidentified drone was spotted in the area, a spokesman for Hanover Airport said on Saturday.
Hanover Airport was closed from 9:47 pm local time Friday (2047 UTC) until 12:16 am Saturday.
The origin of the drone was not immediately clear.
Seven flights were diverted due to the closure, including flights to Bremen, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.
Connections to Frankfurt and Paris were cancelled, and two flights did not land in Hanover and therefore were not able to depart on Saturday.
local daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (HAZ) It was reported that at least five drones were seen.
According to the report, the first drone was spotted at a height of about 80 meters (a little over 262 feet) near a model aerodrome near the airport.
HAZ An hour later, at least two drones were reported to have arrived near Hanover Airport.
Germany is struggling with drone intrusions
Drone sightings at airports in Germany and other parts of central and northern Europe have increasingly disrupted traffic in recent months.
In early October, an air traffic control operation was carried out at Munich Airport as the city hosted the world-famous Oktoberfest event. Last month, Berlin Brandenburg Airport also briefly halted flights due to drone sightings.
German officials say the country is also dealing with increasing cyberattacks and sabotage plots, which they suspect are part of a “hybrid” campaign by Russia.
Last Sunday, Holger Munch, head of Germany’s criminal police agency (BKA), told Picture The newspaper says that more than 1000 suspicious drone sightings were recorded in 2025.
He said the drones were mostly seen near military facilities, airports and other critical infrastructure such as ports and premises of arms manufacturers.
Asked whether Russia could be held responsible for the drone intrusion, Münch said the BKA could not determine this with “100% certainty.”
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar