Second Denmark airport in days grounds planes as mystery drones force airspace closure

Aalborg airport in Denmark's northern region has been forced to close following drone activity in its airspace, local authorities have confirmed.

The closure follows Copenhagen airport's shutdown earlier this week after a drone invasion which the prime minister branded as "the most severe attack on Danish infrastructure so far".

Authorities confirmed that drone activity has been detected close to the airport with airspace restrictions now in place while investigators examine the incident. The news emerges as Zelensky points finger at Putin after night of airport chaos in Denmark and Norway.

No fewer than four flights have been redirected and officials admitted they remained unclear about the drones' purpose or their operators.

An Aalborg airport representative refused to reveal the number of drones involved in the incident.

"Drones have been observed near Aalborg airport and the airspace is closed. The police are present and investigating further," police announced on social media. Officers revealed the drones operated with lights activated.

The drone activity matched a similar sequence to the aircraft seen at Copenhagen airport on Monday, police confirmed.

Emergency airspace restrictions imposed

Nordjyllands Police posted on X: "Drones have been observed near Aalborg Airport and the airspace is closed. The police are present and investigating further."

The European air traffic control authority announced that arrivals and departures at the facility would be suspended until 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT) on Thursday.

Multiple flights have been forced to redirect to alternative airports following Aalborg Airport's emergency closure.

"Aalborg Airport is currently closed due to drones in the airspace," Flightradar announced in an X post. "Three inbound flights have been diverted to other airports."

Part of wider European disruption

The incident follows a cyber attack that triggered chaos at Heathrow Airport last week, alongside other major European airports.

Flight cancellations and delays plagued the entire weekend period - with some airports continuing to experience knock-on effects from delays this week.

Copenhagen Airport was also forced to shut down days earlier when drones were detected in the area, creating major disruption on Monday evening. Up to three autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were reportedly identified in the airport's airspace as police flooded the zone.

Oslo airport in Norway also experienced a three-hour airspace closure after drone activity was spotted there.

PM hints at Russian involvement

Denmark's prime minister subsequently stated she "cannot deny" that drones were flown by Russia.