Several European airports were forced to shut down on Monday evening after unidentified drones appeared in restricted airspace. In Copenhagen, Denmark, air traffic was halted for hours, with the first flights only resuming around midnight. Similar sightings in Oslo, Norway, prompted air traffic control to temporarily ground all flights there as well.
Authorities have not yet determined who was operating the drones. The aircraft eventually left the restricted zones on their own, and police confirmed that none were shot down.
No Clear Link Yet
While it seems unlikely to be a coincidence that two major European airports were disrupted at the same time, police say they have not established a direct connection between the incidents. Investigators are working with intelligence services to look into the matter.
The disruptions are expected to cause significant economic damage, with hundreds of flights canceled or delayed well into Tuesday.
Echoes of Gatwick Incident
The events bear striking similarities to the December 2018 shutdown of London’s Gatwick Airport, when drone sightings near the runway paralyzed operations during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. That incident affected 120,000 passengers and led to the cancellation of 700 flights. In its aftermath, British airports introduced stricter anti-drone measures to keep consumer drones away from air traffic.
Airports Protected by Geofencing
European regulations already require airports to be safeguarded with geofencing zones. The EU’s system restricts drone flights near sensitive sites, and major manufacturers such as DJI have incorporated these zones into their software. It remains unclear whether the drones in Copenhagen and Oslo breached these protected areas.
