Denmark’s Aalborg airport had temporarily halted operations on Thursday, after drone sighting. This was the second drone-related disruption at a Danish airport after Copenhagen airport was temporarily closed earlier, citing drone activity in the airspace. Copenhagen Airport officially reopened after nearly four hours of flight operations suspended following a sudden drone sighting on Monday night, September 22.

Aalborg Airport closes as Flights Resume at Copenhagen

Denmark’s Defence Ministry has cited a professional hybrid attack after drone sightings were reported at multiple Danish airports. Aalborg Airport, which also operates as a military base, faced a closure of operations with drones being sighted around 10 pm on Wednesday, local time, ending around 1 am on Thursday. Flight operations were stopped for several hours at the airport.

Meanwhile, Copenhagen Airport had resumed operations at 12:30 am local time (11:30 pm GMT) on September 22, after the drone scare, Danish police had confirmed. Around 20,000 travellers were affected when air traffic came to a halt.

According to authorities, the closure of airspace took place after two to three large drones were spotted near the Copenhagen airport around 8:30 pm local time. At least 35 flights were diverted during the suspension, causing ripple effects across international schedules.

Police emphasised that there was no indication the drones were intended to cause harm, despite the significant travel chaos the incident at Copenhagen Airport has created.

Safety Measures and Passenger Impact

Danish police stated that the drones spotted were likely flown by a “capable operator” aiming to “show off”, but the situation was serious enough to activate the armed forces at the Copenhagen airport. Authorities further confirmed that, as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident, new safety measures will be implemented. However, details regarding the measures have not been disclosed.

The passenger impact was immediate. Delays stretched into the early morning, long queues were formed, and many travellers were left searching for alternative connections. As Europe heads into a busy autumn travel season, the immediate resumption of flight operations was critical to minimise long-term disruption.

According to news reports, three other smaller Danish airports- Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Skrydstrup also experienced drone activity. However, operations at these airports were not disrupted.

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