A World War II bomb has been destroyed in a controlled explosion after being discovered at Düsseldorf Airport, forcing flights to be suspended.

Two departures and five arrival flights were cancelled on Monday while the 275-pound bomb was destroyed, according to Associated Press.

Overall 41 flights were affected and delays are to be processed throughout the day, Germany's Bild reported.

After being found overnight authorities decided to dispose of the bomb at the site, located away from the airport’s runway.

Sandbags were heaped around the site to dampen the force of the blast, DPA news agency reported.

The airport said over Facebook that experts destroyed the bomb at around 8:43 am.

Flights were suspended for roughly an hour before the detonation and resumed shortly after.

Unexploded bombs dating back to World War II are still commonly found in Germany.

Many local authorities have full-time teams in place to detect and diffuse them.