Denmark's Aalborg Airport closed for a second night due to drone activity
On Tuesday, Copenhagen Airport was also closed for four hours due to the detection of drones.
BarcelonaAalborg Airport in Denmark was closed again Thursday night due to the presence of drones in its airspace, local police reported early this morning. The closure lasted just over an hour, and the airport reopened at 12:35 a.m.
This comes a full day after North Jutland police announced that "more than one drone" had been seen near the airport, flying with their lights on. According to the police, the drones were first seen on Wednesday at around 9:44 p.m. local time and were still in the airspace at the time of the press conference at 12:05 a.m. Thursday. However, the alert passed shortly afterward, and the airport was able to reopen. However, it was closed again Thursday night at around 11:40 p.m., again due to "suspected drone activity," and reopened an hour later.
The incident comes two days after the country's main airport, Copenhagen, was also closed for four hours due to the detection of drones. The drones' actions followed a similar pattern. In this case, the disruption affected the armed forces, because Aalborg Airport is also used as a military base.
On Tuesday, Denmark said the incident at Copenhagen Airport had been the most serious attack so far against its critical infrastructure, and linked it to a series of alleged Russian drone incursions and other disruptions across Europe. Norwegian authorities also closed Oslo Airport's airspace for three hours on Monday night after a drone was spotted.
Still to be clarified
Denmark's defense minister said Thursday that these drones were hybrid attacks, combining military and covert tactics, and were aimed at spreading fear. However, it was still unclear who was behind the incidents, and Denmark had not yet decided whether to invoke NATO's Article 4, which allows members to request consultations on any security issues.
Europe is on high alert after several NATO member states reported Russian incursions into their airspace. Last week, Estonia and Poland requested consultations with other NATO members after accusing Russian fighter jets of violating their airspace. Romania, also a NATO member, claimed that Russian drones had entered its airspace. Russia denied violating Estonian airspace and insisted that the incursion in Poland was not deliberate. It did not comment on the incident in Romania.
Following a meeting on Tuesday, NATO issued a statement condemning Russia's actions and warning that it would use "all necessary military and non-military tools" to defend itself. "Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are an escalation, involve the risk of miscalculation, and put lives at risk. This must end," the statement said. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said: "We are a defensive alliance, yes, but we are not naive; we see what is happening." After his speech at the UN, Donald Trump suggested that NATO countries should attack Russian aircraft that invade their airspace.