Oslo Airport. Photo: Shutterstock Drone incidents in Northern Europe expanded further last night. Following the closure of Copenhagen Airport, Denmark's capital (CPH), to flights yesterday around 20:20 due to large drones spotted in the area, drones also disrupted flight movements in Oslo, the capital of Norway. According to reports in the country, the airport management company, Avinor, announced that air activity ceased during the night.
According to the local police statement in Oslo, "Two individuals with foreign nationalities were arrested after being caught operating drones in the prohibited area." The nationalities of the detained individuals were not disclosed.
Earlier yesterday, as mentioned, the airport in Denmark's capital was closed to departures and arrivals, with incoming flights redirected to other airports. This morning, according to the airport announcement in Copenhagen, delays and flight cancellations continue. Passengers are advised to stay updated via the airlines.
"Russia 'accidentally' breaching European airspace"
Despite the identities of the caught drone operators and the origin of the drones remaining unclear, Estonia has already pointed fingers at Russia due to other incidents that happened this week. Former Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, currently serving as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, expressed her anger yesterday during the UN assembly in New York.
"It is impossible that Russia 'accidentally' breached European airspace three times in two weeks," said Kallas, adding: "Russia is testing Europe's borders and our resolve. They will continue to do so as long as we allow it."
Map of Northern Europe. Photo: ShutterstockAs a reminder, about a week ago, Latvia closed its airspace on the Russian border due to Russian drone incursions. Simultaneously, Poland temporarily restricted flights in the country's east due to fears of the Russia-Ukraine war spilling over.