Major airport shut down as flights forced to divert after ‘large’ drone incident

Copenhagen Airport has been forced to close after drones were spotted in the vicinity, causing major disruption. Reports say up to three UAVS were detected in the airspace over the international airport, forcing authorities to take drastic action.

Police have been dispatched to the travel hub to investigate the incident. “We have a massive presence out there,” Henrik Stormer, the head of the Copenhagen Police, told reporters. According to Naviair, the company responsible for traffic control at the airport, the airport closed to takeoffs and arrivals at around 8.30 pm local time.

In a later statement on X, police added: “[The airport] is currently closed for take-off and landing, as 2-3 large drones have been seen flying in the area. The time horizon is currently unknown.”

A post by FlightRadar said as of 22:05 local time (20:05 UTC), more than 35 flights bound for Copenhagen Airport had been diverted to other airports due to the drone situation.

Most of the diverted flights head to Malmö, Billund, Aarhus and Gothenburg. Officials have yet to provide any more information on the drones and their possible origin. 

A spokesperson for the airport told the Express: “The airspace over Copenhagen Airport has been closed since 8.30pm and it is due to two to three unidentified drones. We have no aircraft that can take off or land at the airport. As a result flights are being diverted to other airports.

“At the moment the police are investigating the drone activity and we currently have no time line for reopening.”

They were unable at the time of publishing to provide any information about the origin of the drones. 

Easyjet and Volotea flights are reportedly waiting for more than 100 minutes to land at Copenhagen Airport. Danish fighter aircraft and task force personnel are now responding to the situation, with helicopters flying over the airport.

According to Danish media, there have also been drone sightings in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

The latest disruption to European flights comes in the wake of a suspected cyber-attack on check-in software at London Heathrow and airports in Berlin and Brussels at the end of last week.