Drones disrupt Stockholm airport traffic three nights in a row

STOCKHOLM - Air traffic at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport was disrupted for the third night in a row on Sept 10, after a drone was observed near the airport, Sweden’s Civil Aviation Administration said.

Mr Eric Casselberg, duty officer at Sweden’s Civil Aviation Administration, told AFP on the evening of Sept 10 that a drone had been sighted near the airport, and that some take-offs and landings had to be altered.

He said traffic was now back to normal.

The sighting follows traffic disruptions due to drones flying into the airport’s airspace the two previous nights.

On the evening of Sept 9, a security guard alerted air traffic control shortly after 10pm, Mr Daniel Ackermann, spokesman for the aviation agency, told AFP earlier on Sept 10.

Mr Ackermann added that the disruption led to delays of about “15 to 20 minutes” for some flights, after which traffic resumed.

Traffic at Arlanda was also halted for nearly two hours after four drones entered the airport’s airspace in the early hours of Sept 9.

Take-offs and landings were halted between 2am and 3.40am on the morning of Sept 9, affecting five flights, airport operator Swedavia told AFP.

The flights were either re-routed to other airports or delayed.

Police spokesman Daniel Wikdahl told Swedish media on Sept 9 that they suspected “that this is a deliberate act, but I can’t say what the motive may have been”.

Police also said investigations had been opened following the sightings. AFP