Police have said a “sophisticated actor” could be behind the multiple drone sightings at a major European airport that left 20,000 people stranded. Flights at Copenhagen Airport resumed early on Tuesday after being suspended or diverted overnight after reported sightings of three to four large drones saw all outgoing flights grounded on Monday night.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the disruptive incident, but police inspector Jens Jespersen hinted that Vladimir Putin’s Russian regime could be behind the chaotic few hours for European travellers. “We have concluded that this was what we would call a capable operator,” Mr Jespersen told reporters. “It’s an actor who has the capabilities, the will and the tools to show off in this way.” It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referenced “Russia’s violation” of NATO airspace in Copenhagen but did not provide a source for the information.
Danish police declined to comment on Mr Zelensky’s X post, with Mr Jespersen telling reporters: “I can’t say anything about that. It’s not because I don’t want to, it’s because I simply don’t know.”
Copenhagen Airport was closed for four hours after the swarm of drones were spotted in its immediate vicinity, the police inspector said, with Oslo Airport in Norway also shut for three hours on Monday following two drone sightings.
He added that the drones appeared to have come from several different directions, turning their lights on and off before disappearing after several hours.
Denmark’s biggest airport, which handled almost 30 million travellers last year, is close to a busy shipping lane where vessels enter and exit the Baltic Sea.
Other European countries have launched investigations into drone flights near critical infrastructure in recent years, with German authorities seizing a suspected espionage vessel earlier this month.
The cargo ship was raided as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected intelligence activities directed at the country’s maritime infrastructure, with local media reporting that prosecutors think it was the launching pad for drones dispatched to collect reconnaissance imagery of the German Navy.
Mr Jespersen said Danish authorities were investigating several different hypotheses about the origins of the drones spotted at the two transport hubs, including that they had been launched from ships.
A statement released by Copenhagen Airport this morning confirmed it had reopened “after being closed due to drone activity”. “There will be delays and some cancelled departures,” it continued. “Passengers are advised to check with their airline for further information.”
