Drones at Copenhagen Airport were serious attack, PM says

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the drones that disrupted operations at Copenhagen Airport, affecting hundreds of passengers, constituted “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date,” the Ritzau news company reported on Tuesday.

“This says something about the times we live in and what we as a society must be prepared for,” Frederiksen said. “Of course, we are not ruling out any possibility as to who is behind it,” she added.

She famous that the incident was constant with current drone sightings, airspace violations and cyberattacks on European airports.

Take-offs and landings at the airport were quickly suspended after two to three drones were noticed close to the airfield late on Monday.

About 100 flights had to be cancelled in Copenhagen. A complete of around 20,000 passengers were affected, representatives of the airport and Danish air site visitors control said at a press convention.

“There will be delays and some cancelled departures,” the airport authorities warned even after the flight hub was reopened. “Passengers are advised to check with their airline for further information.”

Copenhagen police investigator Jens Jespersen said at a press convention early Tuesday that based on the quantity and dimension of drones, as properly as the timing of the incident, authorities imagine a “capable actor” was doubtless behind it.

He said that such an actor would possess the abilities, intent, and instruments to perform the operation.

Oslo airport also affected by drone exercise

Meanwhile, the airport in Norway’s capital Oslo was also closed after drones were noticed, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported early on Tuesday. According to the operator Avinor, both the airport and the airspace over Oslo were shut. Incoming flights were being redirected, an airport spokeswoman said.

Copenhagen Kastrup Airport is one of Scandinavia’s largest, alongside Stockholm Arlanda and Oslo Gardermoen.

Several flights due to depart or arrive in Copenhagen were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other airports including Billund, a small city west of Copenhagen, and Gothenburg in Sweden.

It has been a troublesome period for airways and passengers in Europe. On the weekend, a cyberattack on an IT service supplier brought about disruptions at a number of airports including Berlin, Brussels, London Heathrow and Dublin.