Unknown Drones Fly Over Fighter Jet Airbase in Denmark

Aviation operations at Aalborg International Airport in northern Denmark were suspended due to the appearance of drones in the sky.

Later, it was reported that drones were also detected near three other airports, including the Skrydstrup military airbase, which is home to fighter jets, local police confirmed.

This was also confirmed in a comment to Reuters by an airport employee. However, he declined to comment on the number of drones.

At least four incoming and outgoing flights from the airport have been suspended.

“The airspace above Aalborg Airport is currently closed due to unauthorized drone flights. We are now focused on ensuring safe air traffic and are working with the police to resolve the situation,” a statement from the Danish Air Force’s transport aviation unit, which is based at Aalborg Air Base, said.

Eurocontrol, which controls European air traffic control, noted that arrivals and departures at Aalborg Airport would be “zero” until 04:00 a.m. GMT (06:00 a.m. Kyiv time) on Thursday.

As of 03:55 a.m., no more drones were detected over Aalborg, but they could not be shot down.

“We were unable to shoot down the drones themselves, which flew over a very large area for several hours. We have not yet apprehended the drone operators, but it is clear that the next step is to examine all the evidence and observations we have gathered,” Chief Inspector Jesper Boigør Madsen pointed out.

Drones were also spotted near airports in the cities of Esbjerg and Sønderborg, as well as near the Skrydstrup air base.

“We are at the scene and are trying to verify the observations and document the events. We do not have any additional information at this time, but we will update it here when new information becomes available,” said the South and South Jutland Police.

The Skrydstrup military airfield in South Jutland is home to Danish F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. These airports were not closed due to the drone detection. Flights in Sønderborg are scheduled to start no earlier than 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, and in Esbjerg no earlier than 8:00 a.m., police said.

Later, they confirmed drone activity at the three airports mentioned. The UAVs were “flying with lights” and were spotted from the ground, but the type of drones has not yet been determined. Law enforcement officials also said they would consider shooting down the drones if it could be done safely.