European airports don't know how to defend themselves against the drone threat

LondonIn the last two months, at least a dozen European airports—from Brussels to Copenhagen, from Munich to Palma—have had to suspend or delay operations due to sightings of unidentified drones. Between the end of September and the beginning of November alone, more than 35,000 passengers were affected and hundreds of flights were canceled or diverted. The accumulated economic losses are estimated at more than four million euros. With Christmas approaching, when nearly two million flights are scheduled across the European continent, carrying 200 million passengers, further disruptions are feared.

The two most recent incidents occurred in Belgium and Sweden. Around 7:30 a.m. last Friday, the Liège control tower spotted a drone, according to the country's air traffic control service. Twelve hours earlier, on Thursday afternoon, in Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest airport, operations were also disrupted for the same reason, and a dozen flights had to be diverted. The Liège incident, which lasted only about 30 minutes, occurred 72 hours after another drone briefly blocked airports in [country name missing]. Brussels, but also LiègeThis caused delays and diversions. Some 500 passengers were forced to spend the night in the Belgian capital. These disruptions followed a similar incident last Saturday when three unauthorized drones were spotted near the Kleine Brogel military base in the northeast of the country, which houses NATO nuclear weapons. In fact, sightings of these unmanned flying objects have become a constant in Belgium in recent days.

All of this has caused widespread concern in Europe regarding what is a real, difficult-to-combat, and highly disruptive threat. Because the Belgian case is not isolated. In Denmark, six airports—including Copenhagen's— They suspended or limited flights in SeptemberMore than 20,000 passengers were stranded. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the events "the biggest attack on the country's critical infrastructure." In Germany, airports in Munich – in this case October 3 and 4Berlin and Bremen experienced similar disruptions. In Munich alone, 17 flights were canceled and another 15 diverted, affecting 3,000 travelers, according to Reuters.

In Lithuania, on October 28, Vilnius Airport and several border crossings with Belarus were closed after the detection of "unusual aerial objects," including helium balloons. And in Spain, on October 20, Palma airport Operations had to be suspended for 35 minutes due to the presence of a drone.

This wave of incidents has set off alarm bells at NATO, which sees these episodes as a sign of trouble. a possible strategy of provocation by RussiaIn fact, since the summer, several European countries – Poland, Estonia and Romania – have reported incursions. of Russian drones or aircraft in their airspaceIn Poland, in September, more than twenty drones crossed the border during an attack on Ukraine. Warsaw requested urgent consultations, invoking Article 4 of the Atlantic Alliance Treaty.

Cheap devices, high risks

The most serious drone incident to date at a European airport took place in December 2018, when GatwickAirport in south London was out of service for almost 24 hours, and more than 110,000 people were affected by cancellations or delays. Although two suspects were initially arrested, they were eventually released without charge.

Both that incident and the current wave have highlighted the operational vulnerability of airports to drones. According to the European Cockpit Association (ECA)The association, which represents 40,000 pilots in Europe, stated that "the frequency of unauthorized drones near airports continues to increase significantly [and] it is very difficult to distinguish between unintentional and intentional operations" when it comes to flight paths near runways. In parallel, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published the manual in 2021. Drone Incident Management at Aerodromes,where it acknowledges that drones "are a security threat" and provides guidelines for reducing operational disruption.

The drones capable of causing these incidents are not generally military. They are mostly commercial or semi-professional models (quadcopters and hexacopters) with a flight time of between 30 and 45 minutes and a range exceeding 5 kilometers. Models such as the DJI Mavic 3 or the Autel Evo II can reach altitudes of up to 6,000 meters and carry 4K cameras. They are readily available in stores or online platforms for prices ranging from 400 to 2,500 euros.

Despite being legal for recreational or professional use, their operation near airports is strictly prohibited. The aforementioned European regulation from EASA establishes three categories of use: open, specific, and certified. Any flight within restricted areas or without visual line of sight requires special authorization and accredited training. Offenders face fines of up to €60,000 and prison sentences if intent or a risk to public safety is proven.

The debate over the origin of drone disruptions at airports is still ongoing. Belgian and Danish authorities suspect that agents linked to Moscow may be testing European detection systems and causing these incidents. However, Moscow denies any involvement. Meanwhile, countries like Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have reinforced surveillance with specialized radars and counter-drone systems (C-UAS) at major airports and military bases in all three countries.

While European governments are trying to strengthen security, the reality is that any mid-range drone, easily purchased online, can cause millions of euros in chaos and expose the weaknesses of a highly interconnected system. The price of a single device is negligible compared to the millions of euros that each hour of airport closure can cost. The drone issue is not just a technological security problem; it is also a symptom of a new kind of "hybrid warfare" being waged in Europe: silent, delocalized and asymmetric.