An airplane on the runway at Hannover-Langenhagen Airport, Lower Saxony, Hannover, Germany, November 4, 2025. Getty Images/DPA/Picture Alliance
According to Deutsche Welle
In the evening of November 5, Hannover Airport in Lower Saxony was temporarily halted for 45 minutes after an unidentified drone was detected near the airfield.
According to Deutsche Welle, after assessing the situation, security services restored the airport’s operations. The pause lasted from the moment of the report and was lifted around 22:00 Berlin time (23:00 Kyiv time).
Police said that the pilot of the aircraft approaching to land spotted the unmanned aerial vehicle and alerted ground crews.
According to preliminary information, the drone was flying over the adjacent industrial zone.
As a result of the incident, three flights were redirected or delayed. In particular, the flight from Frankfurt am Main was to land in Hamburg; other flights also experienced delays during takeoff and landing.
European trend: drones and disruptions to airport operations
In recent weeks, drones have increasingly caused disruptions at German airports and other critical facilities, with incidents recorded over major hubs of the aviation system, notably Frankfurt and Munich.
In recent days, the number of similar incidents in Europe has been rising, straining airspace security and cooperation among NATO members. Such cases have also been recorded in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway due to adverse drone activity that halted or redirected flights.
In September there were reports of drone interceptions or shootdowns in Poland and Romania, and discussions among NATO allies regarding threats to airspace security continued in Europe. Incidents involving military aviation in France and Eastern European countries are also mentioned.
In the country, recurring cases of drone use affecting airport operations have been recorded, with heightened attention to security and improvements in counter-drone measures. Analysts emphasize the need to strengthen coordination between law enforcement agencies and to implement more modern systems to minimize the impact of such incidents on airspace.
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