Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport (ARN), the largest airport in Sweden, was forced to temporarily close on the night of September 8-9, 2024, after several drones were spotted in its vicinity.
According to Swedish media, at around 01:00 local time up to four unidentified drones of different sizes were detected in restricted airspace near the airport, prompting a decision by Luftfartsverket, the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration, to divert all incoming flights to alternative airports.
Several flights were affected by the incident. An SAS flight inbound from Malaga (AXP) and a Sunclass Airlines flight from Gazipasa-Alanya (GZP), Turkey, were diverted to Skavsta Airport (NYO). Another SAS flight arriving from Palma de Mallorca (PMI) was diverted to Gothenburg (GOT) and a TUI Fly aircraft from Alghero (AHO), Italy, was diverted to Turku (TKU) in Finland.
All flight restrictions were lifted at 03.30 local time.
Swedish police, which reportedly deployed a helicopter and several ground patrols in response to the sightings, is currently investigating the incident as a possible instance of sabotage and a breach of Sweden’s Security Act. The Swedish armed forces have also been informed.