Foreigner’s Drone Seized Near Oslo Airport Amid Scandinavian Air Disruptions

Norwegian authorities have seized a drone operated by a foreigner near Oslo’s airport, following a week of flight disruptions in Norway and Denmark caused by drone sightings.

A man, identified only as being in his 50s, was found flying the drone in a restricted no-fly zone on Wednesday evening, according to Lisa Mari Lokke, head of prosecutions at Norway’s eastern police district.

The incident was reported to police at approximately 9:00 pm (1900 GMT). “Yesterday around 9:00 pm police were informed that a drone had entered the no-fly zone of Oslo airport,” Lokke told AFP.

When police arrived at the site, they located the pilot. “When we arrived at the site, we found a man in his fifties piloting the drone,” Lokke stated, adding that officers subsequently landed and seized the device.

Crucially, Lokke confirmed that while the man was operating in a forbidden area, “it did not affect air traffic.” The man was not arrested but will be questioned by police; his nationality was not immediately specified.

This incident comes in the wake of several reports of unauthorized drone activity that have temporarily grounded flights at Scandinavian airports this week, including in Copenhagen and Oslo.

Overnight Monday to Tuesday, air traffic at Oslo airport was suspended for about three hours after a possible drone sighting was reported. Lokke noted that lights had been seen in the air and an investigation into whether that was a drone is still underway.

However, despite the timing, authorities have so far found no link between the foreigner’s drone flight and the earlier, more disruptive incidents. “At this stage, we see no connection” between these incidents, Lokke clarified.