Overnight, both Copenhagen and Oslo airports experienced temporary closures due to multiple drone sightings, leading to extensive flight delays and cancellations that are expected to continue through Tuesday.
Authorities are still investigating the origin of these drones, who was piloting them, and whether the incidents in Oslo and Copenhagen are connected. These events unfold as several European nations, particularly those bordering Ukraine, remain on high alert for potential Russian drone incursions.
The first reports emerged Monday night from Copenhagen Airport. Officials confirmed the suspension of all flights after two or three large drones were observed in the vicinity.
Police immediately launched an investigation, resulting in numerous inbound flights being redirected to other airports. By 10:05 p.m. local time in Denmark, over 35 flights destined for Copenhagen had been diverted.
Hours later, Oslo Airport faced a similar shutdown following reports of lights in the sky believed to be drones. This prompted further flight diversions across Norway, according to Gisle Sveen, operations manager for the Norwegian East Police District.
Both airports resumed operations in the early hours of Tuesday, though Copenhagen Airport warned of ongoing delays and cancellations for the day.
This heightened vigilance in Eastern Europe stems from Russia’s increased deployment of drones in its conflict with Ukraine. Countries like Romania and Poland, both NATO members, have previously reported unauthorized entries by Russian drones into their airspace.
Earlier this month, NATO scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian drones violating Polish airspace. Just last week, NATO warplanes were also deployed after three Russian fighter jets intruded into Estonian airspace.
Polish authorities view these airspace breaches as deliberate tests of NATO’s readiness by Russia, while Russia maintains its jets did not violate Estonian airspace and that drones over Poland were meant for Ukraine.
In a social media update early Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned discussing Russian airspace violations over NATO territory, including the September 22 incident in Copenhagen, during a meeting with the head of the International Monetary Fund. He did not, however, offer specific details or evidence linking the Copenhagen drones to Russia.
These drone-related shutdowns compounded existing travel chaos in Europe this week, which also saw major airports in Berlin, Dublin, Brussels, and London’s Heathrow grappling with severe operational impacts from a cyberattack.
The increasing presence of drones near airports has become a significant and growing security concern globally in recent years.
For instance, in December 2018, hundreds of flights at London’s Gatwick Airport were disrupted by drone sightings over a runway. The following month, all incoming flights to Newark Liberty International Airport were halted after pilots reported a nearby drone.