Unidentified Drones Trigger Denmark’s Second Airport Shutdown in a Week
Denmark is weighing new counter-drone measures, including the purchase of interceptor drones, after unidentified UAVs forced the closure of Aalborg Airport on Thursday – the second disruption to Danish air traffic in less than a week.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Reuters and TV2.
The airport in northern Denmark, used for both civilian and military flights, was shut down for several hours on the morning of September 25 after police reported multiple drones flying in its airspace with lights switched on.
North Jutland Police said the drones hovered around Aalborg for roughly three hours. Attempts to shoot them down were unsuccessful, and no suspects have been detained.
“It is too early to say what the purpose of the drones was and who is behind this,” a police spokesperson said. Authorities later confirmed that UAVs were also sighted near Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Skrydstrup – home to an air base for F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.
Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard told reporters the government would invest in faster, more agile drones capable of intercepting and neutralizing hostile UAVs.
He said upcoming legislation would grant operators of critical infrastructure broader authority to disable intruding aircraft. “The days when anyone could freely fly large drones over Denmark are over,” he said.
Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced a special meeting on Friday to discuss strengthening national readiness against drone incursions.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has already described the wave of drone activity as a “serious attack on Denmark’s critical infrastructure,” warning that foreign involvement, including Russia’s, cannot be ruled out. Officials said the flights appeared designed to exert psychological pressure and could happen again.
Similar disruptions were reported on September 22, when drones temporarily shut down Copenhagen and Oslo airports. Norwegian authorities later detained a tourist flying a drone over Oslo’s historic center, but it remains unclear whether his aircraft was responsible for the airspace closure.
As The Gaze previously reported, according to Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, the EU could significantly boost its ability to detect drones within a year, but building a comprehensive defense shield stretching across land and sea borders will take much longer.