Copenhagen and Oslo airports forced to temporarily close after drone sightings

2025-09-23 07:53:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Denmark and Norway were forced to close their main airports on Monday evening due to drone sightings.

Danish police were unable to confirm the type or number of drones seen around Copenhagen airport, but told reporters on Tuesday morning that they were likely flown by a "skilled operator" who wanted to "show off."

Police confirmed that armed forces were activated in response to the sighting, but said there was nothing to indicate the drones were intended to cause harm.

Operations at Copenhagen airport resumed at 00:30 local time (23:30 GMT) after flights were suspended for almost four hours following a drone sighting. Oslo airport also reopened after a four-hour airspace closure.

Danish police also said that "a number of measures will be implemented" as part of the investigation, but did not confirm what those measures might be. They confirmed that around 20,000 passengers were affected by the airport closure.

According to authorities, two to three large drones were reported flying in the area around Copenhagen Airport on Monday evening. Takeoffs and landings at the airport were suspended for approximately four hours. In a statement, the airport warned of continued delays and cancellations and urged passengers to check the status of their flights with their airlines.

Asked by reporters on Monday whether the drones were of Russian origin, Deputy Police Inspector Jakob Hansen said he could not confirm or deny this.

In a later social media post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to “Russia’s violation of NATO airspace” in Copenhagen on September 22, but did not cite a source for the information. EU and NATO leaders have not made a public attribution.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Danish police said there was nothing “immediately linking” the drone incidents in Norway and Denmark to each other. A spokesman for Copenhagen Airport confirmed that the airspace over the airport was closed at around 8:30 p.m. local time (18:30 GMT) on Monday due to unidentified drones.

"No aircraft can take off or land at the airport and as a result, some flights are being diverted to other airports. Police are investigating the matter and we currently need to set a timeline for reopening," they said in a statement.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 reported that at least 35 flights bound for Copenhagen had been diverted as a result of the airport closure.

In Oslo, a drone was also spotted near the main airport on Monday evening, Norwegian police confirmed to local media NRK.

An airport spokesman told public broadcaster NRK that the airspace above the airport was closed at 00:00 local time (22:00 GMT) due to "drone surveillance" and all flights will be diverted to the nearest airport.

At around 04:30 local time (02:30 GMT), the spokesman said Oslo Airport had reopened./CNA, translated by CNN