Oslo and Copenhagen, two of Scandinavia’s busiest airports, were forced to close for several hours after witnessing drones overnight on Tuesday, disrupting travel plans for tens of thousands.
Airspace above Denmark’s Copenhagen airport was closed for almost four hours on Monday night after two or three large “unidentified” drones were found in the area. It is not permitted to take away planes or land.
Danish National Police Commissioner Thorkild Fogde told CNN on Tuesday that these were not amateur or hobby drones, but large drones that are likely to have competent operators.
“This wasn’t any kind of accident,” Fogde said. “The way they entered the airspace, the number of drones, the time they were in the airspace leads to the conclusion that it must be some kind of more capable operator behind the drones.”
The drone comes from several different directions and before it goes out hours after the lights are turned on and off, Danish police chief Jens Jespersen told reporters on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
“This is an actor who has the ability, will and tools to flaunt him like this,” Jespersen said, adding that the suspect has not been identified yet.
Fogde said police have yet to find the drones or decide where they were released from where they were fired, but they are investigating some hypotheses about their origins.
When asked about the incident on Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen said “cannot be rejected in the way that it could be Russia.”
“The facts are still well established, but it is clear that we are witnessing a pattern of persistent conflict at the border,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, on social media.
“Our critical infrastructure is at risk,” she said. “And Europe will respond to this threat with strength and determination.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the allegations against Russia “unfounded” and said he “proposes an unfounded accusation whenever the continuation of such a statement is no longer considered.”
“Our aircraft are guided by international regulations on all flights and have not violated any way,” he said. “The accusations directed to our troops say some borders have been violated by aircraft.
Copenhagen Airport, which serves nearly 30 million people each year, resumed around 12:20am local time (6:20pm ET), but some delays and cancellations were still expected.
According to the airport, flights that had previously arrived at other airports in Denmark had been redirected, but were sent to Gothenburg and Malmö, Sweden.
In Norway, airspace above Oslo Airport was closed for about three hours on Tuesday morning. “This means that flights coming in are currently being redirected to the nearest airport,” Communications Manager Monica Eilen Ferting told CNN.
Police were investigating the incident, she added.
Oslo Airport reopened at 3:22am local time (8:22pm ET) and reported, citing a spokesman for Norwegian airport operator Avinor.
In a previous incident in Oslo on Monday, police arrested two foreigners on flying drones in restricted areas. Norwegian media reported that drones flew past Akershus Fortress, a medieval castle sometimes used in government events.
Fogde said there are currently no indications that the Copenhagen incident is linked to a sighting of the Oslo drone.
Europe has been on alert since Russian drones violated both Poland and Romanian airspace earlier this month, urging NATO allies to pledge to strengthen their defenses on the eastern flank of the bloc.
This story has been updated.
