Air traffic was disrupted in Hanover in the northern German state of Lower Saxony after unidentified drones were detected in the area, a Hanover airport spokesperson said on Saturday.
The closure of Hanover airport lasted from 9:47 p.m. local time (2047 UTC) on Friday until 12:16 a.m. on Saturday.
The origin of the drones was not immediately clear.
Seven aircraft were diverted due to the closure, including flights that were bound for Bremen, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt.
Connections to Frankfurt and Paris were canceled, and two flights did not land in Hanover and were thus not able to depart on Saturday.
Local daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (HAZ) reported that at least five drones were spotted.
The first drone was seen at an altitude of around 80 meters (just over 262 feet) near a model aerodrome near the airport, according to the report.
HAZ reported that at least two drones approached Hanover airport itself an hour later.
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Drone sightings have increasingly disrupted traffic at airports in Germany and other parts of central and northern Europe in recent months.
Early in October, Munich Airport halted air traffic control operations as the city held its world-famous Oktoberfest event. Last month, Berlin Brandenburg Airport also briefly halted flights due to drone sightings.
German authorities say the country also has been dealing with increased cyberattacks and sabotage plots, which they suspect to be part of a "hybrid" campaign on the part of Russia.
Last Sunday, the head of Germany's criminal police agency (BKA), Holger München, told the Bild newspaper that over 1000 suspicious drone sightings had been registered in 2025.
He said that the drones were mostly spotted near military facilities, airports and other critical infrastructure such as harbors and the premises of arms manufacturers.
Asked whether the drone incursions could be attributed to Russia, Münch said that the BKA could not determine this with "100% certainty."