Copenhagen airport shut after sighting of ‘unidentified drones’

About 15 flights were diverted because of unidentified drones being spotted nearby, according to police and airport officials, who reported to the AFP news agency.

Due to two unidentified drones, the airspace over Copenhagen airport has been closed since 8:30 p.m. (18:30 GMT). No aircraft can land or take off, according to Lise Agerley Kurstein, a spokeswoman for the airport.

She claimed that 15 flights had been canceled due to other airports.

Meanwhile, “three or four big drones” had been spotted flying over the airport, according to Copenhagen police.

At 10:45 p.m. (20:45 GMT), duty officer Anette Ostenfeldt told the AFP that “they are still flying back and forth, coming and going,” adding that police were conducting an investigation at the airport.

She was unable to specify whether the drones were for military or for civilian use.

However, Ostenfeldt claimed that they are more expensive than what a private person can purchase.

According to airport officials, until the issue was resolved, the airport would remain closed. The airport spokeswoman Kurstein stated that “we currently have no timeline for reopening.”

Russia has reported airspace violations in several European nations as a result of the incident. Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without authorization, according to Estonian officials on Friday.

Poland claimed that about 19 drones entered its airspace during a Russian airstrike on Ukraine the week prior. Russian drones have been downed over NATO territory for the first time since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 when Polish Air Force and NATO allies shot down some of the unmanned vehicles.

Romania’s airspace also contained a Russian drone.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) met on Monday to discuss the problem of airspace violations.

Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, refuted the claims that Moscow’s fighter jets had “violated” Estonia’s airspace, stating that the flight of three of its MiG-31 aircraft was carried out “strictly in accordance with international airspace regulations.”

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, “objective monitoring” established that the MiGs had not crossed Estonian territory.

Russia’s airspace violation at the UNSC meeting was condemned by NATO allies.

Your careless choices could lead to an armed conflict between NATO and Russia. Our alliance is defensive, but trust that we are prepared to defend NATO’s airs and territory, according to Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary of the United Kingdom.