Oslo Airport drone sightings: Merz blames Russia for 'unprecedented' flights
Air traffic at Oslo's main international airport was temporarily suspended Monday morning, after a Norwegian Air pilot reported seeing multiple drones near the airfield, the Reuters news agency reports.
The airport operator, Avinor, confirmed that one or more aircraft were placed in a holding pattern until the situation was resolved, but no flights were rerouted.
"The situation was resolved quickly, and operations resumed normally. No further traffic delays were reported," a company spokesperson stated.
According to the Norwegian news agency NTB, police were called around midnight after the pilot reported observing between three and five drones during the final approach to the airport. Authorities, however, noted that the sighting has not yet been confirmed.
In recent weeks, several European airports, including those in Copenhagen, Oslo, and Munich, have been affected by similar drone incidents, causing delays and temporary safety measures.
Friedrich Merz, the German conservative leader, stated that, in his opinion, Russia is behind the numerous drone flights observed over Germany in recent weeks. The German leader’s statement was cited by Deutsche Welle.
Due to these incidents, Munich's main airport was closed over the weekend, leading to the cancellation of multiple flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
"We assume Russia is behind the majority of these drone flights," Merz asserted.
Merz described the number of incursions into other European states as unprecedented, even compared to the Cold War. The only consolation, he added, is that none of the drones observed so far were armed. Merz specified that these drones were most likely conducting reconnaissance missions.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius urged for calm, despite these flights of unidentified drones.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
