Case files / europe-airport-drones-2025
Drones close airports across Europe
- When
- September to November 2025 · 2025 on the timeline
- Where
- Copenhagen, Aalborg, Oslo, Munich, Brussels and Liège
- Reported by
- Police, air traffic control and airport operators in Denmark, Norway, Germany and Belgium
- Released
- Police, government and airport statements, 2025
- Status
- Operators never identified
At about 8:30 p.m. on September 22, 2025, police said two to three large drones were seen near Copenhagen Airport, Scandinavia's busiest. It closed for nearly four hours, and flights were diverted or cancelled. Oslo Airport closed its airspace for several hours after midnight following two drone sightings. On the night of September 24, Aalborg Airport in Denmark, which also serves military flights, closed after more drones were reported. Danish police said the drones were flown by a "capable operator." Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure so far and said Russia could not be ruled out; Russia denied involvement.
On the evenings of October 2 and 3, Germany's air traffic control halted flights at Munich Airport after several drone sightings. Dozens of flights were cancelled or diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, affecting thousands of passengers. The airport did not say who flew them.
On November 4, Brussels Airport closed twice in one evening after drones were reported, and Liège, a major cargo airport, also stopped flights; drones had been seen over Belgian military bases, including Florennes, days before. Defence Minister Theo Francken told parliament the flights looked coordinated, with large drones flying in formation, and said they were "coming to spy." Belgium's air traffic controller said there was no evidence yet linking the Brussels and Liège reports.
These are not UAP reports in the usual sense: officials called the objects drones throughout. We include them because they raise the same question as the New Jersey reports: who is flying over sensitive sites, and why can't they be identified.