Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 6, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Flights at Gothenburg Airport resume after a drone incident halted operations, prompting a sabotage investigation amid broader European disruptions.
By Johan Ahlander
GOTHENBURG, Sweden (Reuters) -A drone incident that prompted a sabotage investigation and halted traffic at Sweden's second-largest airport ended on Thursday night with flights preparing to resume.
Drones have caused major disruption across Europe in recent months, forcing temporary airport closures in several countries. Some officials have blamed the incidents on hybrid warfare by Russia. Moscow has denied any connection with the incidents.
One or more drones were observed at the Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport on Sweden's west coast around 1641 GMT, authorities said earlier on Thursday, forcing more than a dozen flights to be rerouted or canceled.
"Police have now informed us that the incident is over and we therefore plan to start traffic back up again," state-owned airport operator Swedavia told Reuters in a text message.
"We have launched an investigation into suspected aviation sabotage," the police spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, drone sightings forced closures of airports and a military air base in Belgium in what the country's defence minister called a coordinated attack.
On Thursday, police in Sweden's neighbour Norway said they had closed a probe into suspected sightings that caused a shutdown of Oslo's airport in September, citing insufficient evidence that drones had been present.
In neighbouring Denmark, several airports, including Copenhagen, also closed temporarily in September due to reported drone sightings.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander in Gothenburg and Louise Breusch Rasmussen in Copenhagen; editing by Anna Ringstrom, Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker)
A drone incident refers to an occurrence where an unmanned aerial vehicle disrupts normal operations, often leading to investigations and potential safety concerns, particularly in aviation.
Aviation sabotage involves intentional acts that disrupt or damage aircraft operations, posing risks to passenger safety and leading to legal investigations.
Drone sightings can lead to temporary airport closures, flight cancellations, and rerouting of air traffic, significantly affecting travel schedules and airport operations.
Hybrid warfare is a strategy that blends conventional military tactics with irregular tactics, such as cyber attacks and misinformation, often used to destabilize nations.
Police are responsible for investigating aviation incidents, ensuring safety, and determining whether any criminal activity, such as sabotage, has occurred.
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