After the drone was first sighted near the airport at an altitude of about 25 meters, airspace and runways were closed several times. One cargo plane was diverted and several departures and arrivals were delayed or canceled, authorities said.
Initial restrictions affected one runway, but at about 4 a.m. the entire airport was closed. Flights partially resumed after the drone disappeared, but it was spotted again at 4:21 a.m., prompting renewed restrictions. Full operations resumed about 5:20 a.m.
Police said a specialized drone-detection system did not register any signal. Airport staff and patrol officers, however, reported seeing the drone several times, and German air-traffic control was unable to determine its exact location. Investigators suspect it may have been a commercial drone.
An internal police report noted that authorities cannot rule
out the possibility of “hybrid activity.” Officials also stressed there is
currently no confirmed link between the Hanover incident and an Aug. 5 case in
Leipzig, in which a drone carrying an explosive device was found near a
Ukrainian transport plane.