Air traffic at Sweden airport briefly halted as 4 suspicious drones enter airspace
Police in Stockholm suspect ‘deliberate act’ of ‘sabotage’ but can’t ascribe further motive; 5 flights either rerouted to other airports or delayed
Air traffic at Stockholm’s Arlanda International Airport was halted for almost two hours overnight Sunday after four drones entered its airspace, police said Monday, adding that they suspected sabotage.
Police alerted air traffic controllers to the drones between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. local time (2300 and 0000 GMT) on Monday, Sweden’s Civil Aviation Administration told AFP.
“We concluded that we were unable to guarantee aviation security and decided to restrict the airspace,” agency spokesman Daniel Ackermann said.
Takeoffs and landings were halted between 2 a.m. and 3:40 a.m. local time, affecting five flights, airport operator Swedavia told AFP.
The five were either re-routed to other airports or delayed.
Police have opened an investigation into “airport sabotage,” they said in a statement.
“We suspect that this is a deliberate act, but I can’t say what the motive may have been,” police spokesman Daniel Wikdahl told several Swedish media outlets.
“Because of confidentiality due to the ongoing investigation, we can’t say what kind of drones were used,” he added.
