Drone packed with explosives found at Germany's Leipzig airport

German authorities said Wednesday that a drone fitted with an unidentified explosive device had been found at Leipzig Airport in eastern Germany.

The device was defused but the incident has posed a new quality of danger, the country's top security official said.

In a briefing at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters that drone sightings and drone threats were something known from the past but "a drone armed with explosives at an airport is a new threat scenario."

Dobrindt described what happened as "a hybrid attack scenario' but didn't offer more details of authorities assessment or specify who might be responsible.

Earlier a robotic device was used to approach the suspicious object. then the bomb squad were then seen approaching it. Before examining the object.

Authorities said an airport staff member discovered the drone in a restricted cargo area near the southern runway of the airport.

Both airport runways were closed and several flights including one passenger plane, were diverted to other airports after the flying object was sighted nearby shortly after midnight, police said.

Meanwhile an apparent second flying object collided with a freight plane after it aborted landing because the runway was closed. The plane flew to another German airport, Hannover, about 200 kilometres to the northwest.

Authorities said there was no danger to passengers or airport employees and flights were not affected on Wednesday.