Copenhagen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Danish intelligence reported on Tuesday that Denmark faces a “high threat of sabotage” following hours of large drones flying over Copenhagen airport, which led to its closure.
Oslo and Copenhagen, two of Scandinavia’s busiest airports, had to shut down for several hours overnight into Tuesday because of drone sightings, causing widespread disruption for tens of thousands of travellers.
“We are facing a high threat of sabotage in Denmark. Someone may not necessarily want to attack us, but rather stress us out and see how we react,”
Flemming Drejer, the Director of Operations at Denmark’s intelligence agency PET, spoke during a press conference.
How did drone sightings disrupt Copenhagen Airport operations?
As reported by Reuters, Copenhagen Airport’s airspace in Denmark was shut for nearly four hours on Monday night after two to three large “unidentified” drones were seen nearby. During this time, no flights were permitted to take off or land.
“We have concluded that this was what we would call a capable operator,”
Danish police Chief Superintendent Jens Jespersen told reporters on Tuesday. Jespersen stated that the drones approached from various directions, flashing their lights on and off, and eventually vanished after several hours.
How was Oslo Airport affected by similar drone activity?
In Norway, the airspace over Oslo Airport was closed for about three hours on Tuesday morning after the discovery of a drone in the vicinity of the airport.
“This means the incoming flights now redirect to the nearest airport,”
Said Communication Manager Monica Iren Fasting. In Oslo on Monday, police also detained two foreign nationals on suspicion of operating drones in the restricted zone.
Copenhagen Airport confirmed reopening early on Tuesday, while Norway’s Oslo Airport also reopened.
How does the situation compare with Gatwick’s 2018 drone chaos?
In a similar incident, Gatwick Airport, which is located near London, faced a major disruption due to what appears to be an unprecedented drone incident over its runway in December 2018.
The disruption began the evening of December 19, when drones were observed over the airfield, causing airport authorities to shut down the airport’s only runway as a safety measure. The runway remained closed for approximately 33 hours, and 1,000 flights were either cancelled or diverted. Nearly 140,000 passengers were left stranded during a peak holiday travel period.
