Airports in western Denmark reopened on Thursday after being forced to shut for several hours overnight due to unidentified drones entering their airspace, the second such security incident in the Nordic country this week.
Police said Billund Airport, Denmark’s second largest, was closed for about an hour, while Aalborg Airport used for both commercial and military flights remained shut for three hours late on Wednesday following the incursions.
Drones were also spotted near Esbjerg and Sonderborg airports, as well as Skrydstrup airbase, which houses some of Denmark’s F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. All five facilities are located on the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark.
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Local resident Morten Skov told Reuters he saw green blinking lights hovering over Aalborg Airport before moving westward. A video he shared showed the light drifting away from the facility.
The incidents mirrored a similar disruption earlier in the week, when drones temporarily halted flights at Copenhagen Airport late on Monday and into Tuesday. Danish national police described that event as the most serious “attack” yet on the country’s critical infrastructure, linking it to suspected Russian drone incursions and disruptions elsewhere in Europe. However, Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, denied any involvement.
Denmark’s defence and justice ministers are scheduled to hold a joint press briefing at 0700 GMT on Thursday.
