NextFin news, On Monday, September 22, 2025, Copenhagen Airport experienced significant disruption when drones were sighted flying over the airspace, forcing authorities to halt all take-offs and landings for nearly four hours. This incident stranded thousands of passengers and marked the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated on Tuesday that the drone activity appeared designed "to disrupt and create unrest". While no definitive culprit has been named, the incident fits a pattern of recent hybrid attacks across Europe, including drone incursions and cyber attacks on airports, which Danish officials suspect may be linked to Russia.
The drones were reported to have come from different directions, intermittently turning their lights on and off before disappearing after several hours. Danish police are investigating multiple hypotheses, including the possibility that the drones were launched from ships, as Copenhagen Airport is near a busy Baltic Sea shipping lane.
Simultaneously, a similar drone sighting caused a three-hour airspace shutdown at Oslo Airport in neighboring Norway. Norwegian security police described the situation as "still unclear" and are coordinating with national and international partners.
Prime Minister Frederiksen referenced recent suspected Russian incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace and Russian fighter jets entering Estonian airspace as part of a broader pattern of aggressive hybrid threats. She emphasized that Denmark is not ruling out any options regarding responsibility.
Russia's ambassador to Denmark denied involvement, accusing the incident of being a provocation aimed at escalating tensions with NATO countries.
The Danish police chief superintendent Jens Jespersen described the actor behind the drone incursions as having the capabilities, will, and tools to conduct such disruptive actions. A Royal Danish Navy ship was reported to be patrolling near Copenhagen following the incident.
Authorities continue to investigate the event, which has raised concerns about the security of critical infrastructure in Europe amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
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