Denmark reports ‘unidentified’ drones at several airports

Denmark’s Aalborg airport has been closed as several of the country’s airports reported unauthorised drone activity.

Danish police confirmed early on Thursday that three other smaller airports had reported drone sightings, although none were closed.

The shutdown of Aalborg, which is used for commercial and military flights, follows just days after the country’s main Copenhagen airport was forced to shut temporarily.

Recent incidents involving drones and aircraft in Estonian, Polish, and Romanian airspace have led to accusations that Russia is testing NATO defences.

Danish police said that they were investigating the actors behind the stunt and could not rule out a prank.

“More than one” drone was sighted near Aalborg airport, which is located in northern Denmark, in the Jutland region, and is the country’s fourth-largest city by population, a police statement said.

They also noted that the drone sightings in Aalborg followed a similar pattern to those that halted flights at Copenhagen airport for four hours on Monday, when a number of large and unidentified drones were spotted near what is one of Scandinavia’s busiest airports.

The closure of Aalborg airport affected Denmark’s armed forces because it is used as a military base, police said.

“It is too early to say what the goal of the drones is and who is the actor behind,” a police official told the Reuters news agency, adding that authorities would take down the drones if possible.

The Danish armed forces said they were assisting local and national police with the investigation, but declined to comment further.