Drone sightings halt air traffic at Gothenburg’s Landvetter Airport

Air traffic at Landvetter Airport outside Gothenburg was halted Thursday evening after drones were sighted near the airport, prompting an immediate closure of the airspace and the deployment of Swedish Armed Forces and police units.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) confirmed that at least one drone was observed shortly before 6 p.m. “There is currently a traffic disruption,” said Björn Stavås of MSB.

According to Swedavia, the state airport operator, “the airspace over Landvetter is currently closed due to an indication of a suspicious drone. Safety always comes first and the airspace is closed while the police investigate,” said Susanne Norman, Swedavia’s airport director.

Several flights have been affected:

• Two inbound flights — from Munich and Frankfurt — were diverted to Copenhagen.
• A Landvetter–Munich departure was cancelled, and five arriving flights were cancelled in total.
• All departing flights have been delayed or cancelled, according to Swedavia’s website.

Police confirmed they are on site “trying to verify the information,” said Johan Håkansson, spokesperson for Region West police. One witness told Aftonbladet they had filmed the drone, describing it as “small with lights.”

The incident follows a series of recent drone sightings near major European airports, including Brussels, Liège, Hanover, and Copenhagen, raising renewed concerns about aviation security and airspace safety across the region.