Drone sighting shuts down Denmark's Aalborg Airport; 'professional actor' involved? Here's what happened
Aalborg Airport in Denmark was temporarily closed due to unauthorised drone sightings. Police reported multiple drones flying with lights on, triggering security concerns amid ongoing investigations into potential links to Russian incursions across Europe.
Denmark's Aalborg Airport, used for both commercial and military flights, was closed for a few hours on Thursday night after unauthorised drones were seen in its airspace. The incident created panic as it cametwo days after Copenhagen Airport was similarly shut down due to drone activity, raising fresh concerns over aviation security in the region.
However, the defence minister later clarified that drone flights over Danish airports 'systematic' operation by ‘professional actor’
Northern Jutland police told reporters that "more than one drone" had been sighted near Aalborg Airport, flying with lights switched on. The drones were first sighted at about 9:44 pm (1944 GMT) on Wednesday and remained in the airspace until the time of the press briefing at 12:05 am on Thursday.
Northern Jutland police said initially they could not specify the type of drones or whether they were the same as those flying over Copenhagen Airport on Monday.
Southern Jutland police later posted on X that drones had also been sighted near the airports in the Danish towns of Esbjerg, Sonderborg and Skrydstrup.
Danish police later confirmed that the unidentified drone activity seen in North Jutland was no longer present over the airspace at Aalborg Airport.
Copenhagen Airport drone sighting
According to the Danish administration, the drone sighting at Copenhagen Airport is being treated as the most serious attack yet on the country's critical infrastructure. Authorities have linked it to a series of suspected Russian drone incursions and other disruptions across Europe.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commented that the drones which halted flights at Copenhagen Airport were part of a "pattern of persistent contestation at our borders."
Meanwhile, Norwegian authorities also shut the airspace at Oslo airport for three hours on Monday evening after a drone was spotted.
Norwegian and Danish authorities are in close contact regarding Monday's incidents, although no connection has yet been established, Espen Barth Eide, Norway's foreign minister, said on Wednesday.
(With inputs from agencies)