Drone sightings forced authorities in Denmark and Norway to close the main airports in Copenhagen and Oslo for several hours overnight, causing widespread flight disruptions that were expected to last into Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear where the drones originated, who was operating them, or whether the Oslo and Copenhagen sightings were linked. However, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark stated that it was the “most serious attack so far” on the country’s critical infrastructure, and her government is not ruling out any possibilities regarding responsibility.
Several European countries, particularly those near Ukraine, are currently on high alert for airspace incursions after Russian aircraft recently entered the airspace of Poland, Estonia, and Romania.
Ms. Frederiksen noted that Copenhagen police described the incident as involving a “capable actor,” adding that it “clearly ties into the developments we have observed recently with other drone attacks, violations of airspace, and cyberattacks on European airports.”
The first sightings were reported at Copenhagen Airport on Monday night. Several large drones flew over the airports and remained airborne for four hours, according to Jens Jespersen, the chief superintendent of the Danish police. Authorities confirmed that all takeoffs and landings were suspended due to the drones’ presence.
Inbound flights were diverted to other airports while police investigated, an airport spokeswoman confirmed.
A few hours later, Oslo Airport also closed due to similar sightings, leading to flights being diverted to other airports in Norway. Gisle Sveen, operations manager for the Norwegian East Police District, reported that Oslo airport staff had twice observed lights in the sky consistent with drones.
Both airports reopened in the early hours of Tuesday. Copenhagen Airport announced on social media that further delays and cancellations were anticipated throughout the day.
Countries in Eastern and Northern Europe are on high alert as Russia has increased its use of drones in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Earlier this month, NATO scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian drones that had entered Polish airspace. Days later, Romania reported that a Russian drone had entered its airspace. Last week, three Russian fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace, prompting NATO to launch warplanes to intercept them.
Polish authorities have described the airspace intrusions as a deliberate attempt by Russia to test NATO’s readiness. Russia has maintained that its jets did not violate Estonian airspace and that the drones over Poland were intended for Ukraine.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned discussing Russian violations of NATO airspace, including an incident on September 22 in Copenhagen, during a meeting with the head of the International Monetary Fund. He did not provide further details or evidence linking the Copenhagen drones to Russia.
The drone incidents compounded air travel disruptions in Europe this week. Several major airports, including Berlin, Dublin, Brussels, and London’s Heathrow, experienced severe operational impacts due to a cyberattack.
The presence of drones at or near airports has become an increasingly significant threat in recent years.
In December 2018, drones hovering over a runway at Gatwick Airport outside London disrupted hundreds of flights. The following month, all flights destined for Newark Liberty International Airport were halted after pilots reported seeing a drone flying nearby.