DRONE sightings have brought Denmark’s biggest airport to a standstill.
All traffic at Copenhagen Airport has been halted after drone sightings in the airspace at around 8.30pm.
AlamyCopenhagen Airport has been closed after drones were spotted in the airspace[/caption]
ReutersPolice officers stand guard after all traffic has been closed at the Copenhagen Airport[/caption]
ReutersAt least 35 flights have been diverted to nearby airports like Malmö and Billund[/caption]
The airport has been closed after between two and four “large” drones were seen in the area, according to a police spokesperson.
The airport stressed it cannot provide a timeline for reopening, with investigations ongoing.
“The police are investigating the matter, until they have more information, the airspace is closed,” a spokesperson told local media.
“We hope that passengers can soon depart safely and land safely.”
At least 35 flights have been diverted to other locations.
Flights that were due to land in Copenhagen have instead been forced into holding patterns or rerouted to other hubs across Denmark and southern Sweden, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
Flights are being diverted to neighbouring airports including Malmö, Billund, Aarhus and Gothenburg.
In a police statement released on social media, a spokesperson said: “[The airport] is currently closed for take-off and landing”.
Danish media has reported helicopters have been seen in the airport.
Two people were also arrested in Oslo shortly after the drones were spotted.
The two incidents are not yet believed to be linked.
One flight was allowed to touch down at Kastrup after running critically low on fuel, but most were diverted to Billund, Malmö, Gothenburg and even Ängelholm.
Frustrated travellers reported confusion both in the air and on the ground.
Passenger Mikael Belstrup told TV 2: “We were told that Copenhagen Airport was closed due to drones and that the staff didn’t know anything.
“We are still in the plane and they are refuelling it so we have the opportunity to come back if or when the airport opens.”
Others described seeing police cars racing around the runways and “blue flashes” from the tarmac as emergency crews responded to the scare.
This isn’t the first time Copenhagen Airport has been paralysed by rogue drones.
Back in January, the airspace was closed for nearly two hours after similar sightings.
At the time, military analyst Rasmus Ross warned that security gaps make it difficult to trace or neutralise drones.
“You don’t have a complete system that can register what is flying in the air, who is flying, and what their intentions are,” he told TV 2.
The mass disruption comes as Europe has grown increasingly jittery over drone activity near critical infrastructure, with airports, military bases and power stations all on heightened alert.
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