Danish Authorities Call Kastrup Drone Incident a “Capable Attack”

Danish authorities, including Copenhagen police and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have officially labeled the recent drone incident at Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup) as an “attack,” a significant escalation in their assessment of the event. The incident, which took place on Monday evening, saw the country’s main international airport shut down for approximately four hours as multiple large drones were spotted in the airspace, causing widespread disruption and affecting an estimated 20,000 passengers. Prime Minister Frederiksen referred to it as “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date,” underscoring the gravity of the situation.
Police officials, during a press conference on Tuesday, stated that while no suspects have been identified, the nature of the event strongly suggests a “capable actor” was behind it. Police Inspector Jens Jespersen noted that the drones’ number, size, flight patterns, and duration over the airport were all indicators of a sophisticated operation, possibly conducted for training or to test Denmark’s response. The drones were observed turning their lights on and off, flying from multiple directions before disappearing on their own. Authorities opted not to shoot down the drones due to the high risk to passengers, nearby aircraft, and fuel depots at the airport.
The incident at Kastrup is part of a broader pattern of recent drone sightings and airspace violations across Europe. Just hours after the Copenhagen airport reopened, a similar incident forced the closure of Oslo Airport in Norway. While it is too early to say whether the two events are linked, authorities in both countries are cooperating in their investigations. The timing and proximity of the incidents have raised concerns about a coordinated effort to disrupt air travel and test the defenses of critical infrastructure in NATO countries. These events come on the heels of other recent security alerts, including a cyberattack on a major aviation systems provider that affected airports in London, Berlin, and Brussels, and prior drone incursions into Polish and Estonian airspace.
The incident has prompted immediate and ongoing investigations by Danish police, military, and intelligence services. A key focus of the investigation is determining how the drones reached the airport’s vicinity, whether by land or by sea, possibly through the strategic straits into the Baltic Sea. The fact that the drones were large and capable of flying for an extended period further points to a well-resourced entity. The Danish government has been on high alert for some time regarding the risk of “hybrid attacks,” a term used to describe a blend of conventional and unconventional tactics, often without direct attribution. The strong language used by both the police and the Prime Minister reflects a growing recognition of this new type of threat to national security and critical infrastructure.
The disruption caused by the incident highlights a vulnerability in airport security systems and air traffic control. While airports have protocols to manage unauthorized drone activity, large-scale, coordinated events like the one at Kastrup can overwhelm existing defenses and force a complete shutdown of operations. As the investigation continues, the focus will shift not only to identifying the perpetrators but also to developing more robust countermeasures to prevent similar incidents in the future.