Airplane in flight. Photo credit: Mike Campbell/NurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Air traffic was suspended at Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport on Sweden's west coast on Thursday after drones were spotted in the airport area, the civil aviation authority said, quoted by Aftonbladet newspaper, according to Reuters.
The profile publication Airlive.net says multiple alerts placed the drones close enough to the airport to trigger an alarm.
British Airways flight BA792, which had taken off from London Heathrow Airport, and Lufthansa flight LH181, from Frankfurt, were diverted to Copenhagen, Denmark.
Drones have caused major disruption in Europe in recent months, forcing the temporary closure of airports in several countries. Some officials blamed Russia's hybrid warfare for the incidents. Moscow has denied any connection to the events.
In Belgium, Brussels and Liège airports were closed on Tuesday evening after drones were reported near them. Several planes due to land there were diverted and some take-offs were delayed or cancelled, according to international media.
Drones also observed in the area of a military base
Also in Belgium, over the weekend, drones were also spotted over the Kleine Brogel military base. The base is essential to the defense of Belgium and also has an American presence. American-made F-16 fighter jets are currently stationed there, and F-35 aircraft will also be stationed there, Politico reported at the time.
“They come to spy, to see where the F-16s are, where the munitions are and other very strategic information,” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken told RTBF.
The incident in Belgium at the weekend is just one of those that have taken place recently in the country and elsewhere in Europe. In September, Russian drones were intercepted and shot down in Polish airspace, and another Russian drone violated Romanian airspace. Drones of unknown origin – suspected to be also Russian – disrupted air traffic at airports in Denmark, Norway and Germany.
The Belgian defense minister did not attribute the weekend incident to Moscow, but said “the Russians are trying to do this in all European countries”.
“Is it the Russians now? I can't say that, but the reasons are clear and the ways to do such things are also very clear,” said Theo Francken.
