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Drone spotted at Arlanda Airport – third night in a row

Another drone was sighted above Arlanda Airport on Tuesday evening, for the third consecutive night.

Published: 11 September 2024 11:13 CEST
Drone spotted at Arlanda Airport – third night in a row
File photo of Arlanda Airport. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

Sweden’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that security guards had seen the suspected drone. 

A spokesperson said the airport adapted takeoffs and landings in response, but that air traffic on the whole wasn’t affected.

Several drones were spotted near Arlanda in the early hours of Monday, followed by at least another one on Tuesday night.

Both incidents are being investigated as airport sabotage and violation of Sweden’s laws on protected objects. No arrests have yet been made.

Hans Liwång, an expert at Sweden’s Defence University, told Aftonbladet that based on the nature of the incidents, it looked like the first one was coordinated and the second one may have been by a copycat.

On Saturday, a Russian drone crashed in Lithuania.

Amphibious corps from Sweden and the US are currently taking part in the Archipelago Endeavour 24 exercise in the Stockholm archipelago, although according to Liwång it seems “far-fetched” that the drone incidents would be connected to that.

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Stockholm’s Bromma Airport’s future in doubt after it loses 90 percent of air traffic

The future of Stockholm's second airport, Bromma, is in doubt after regional airline BRA struck a deal with SAS that will move nearly all flights to Arlanda Airport.

Published: 17 September 2024 13:13 CEST
Stockholm's Bromma Airport's future in doubt after it loses 90 percent of air traffic

As of January 1st, BRA will operate flights on behalf of SAS with Stockholm’s principal airport Arlanda as a hub, the two airlines announced in separate press releases.

As a result, around 90 percent of air traffic will disappear from Bromma airport, according to the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.

“I don’t think the airport will survive without us,” Per G Braathen, president of the BRA airline, told a press conference.

“We have been present at Bromma for 25 years and it is not profitable to run this airport. We need to concentrate on Arlanda,” he added.

The deal with SAS extends for over seven years and is worth around six billion kronor (530 million euros), BRA said in a statement.

The airline added that its fleet would be expanded and “more pilots and cabin crew will be recruited”, while ground services and administrative functions would be reduced.

The integration of BRA’s fleet with SAS will enhance Swedish infrastructure but is also “positioning Arlanda as a stronger central hub for domestic and international travel”, SAS CEO Anko van der Werff said in a statement.

Jonas Abrahamsson, CEO of Swedavia which operates Sweden’s airports, said that Tuesday’s announcement meant that domestic flights would now be concentrated on Arlanda.

“Bromma in principle will be without scheduled services,” Abrahamsson said in a statement.

He added that while many travellers liked Bromma, “a consolidation of air traffic to Arlanda is a natural development”.

Bromma Airport will lose its biggest air traffic operator from the turn of the year. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

The city of Stockholm wants to close Bromma airport as soon as possible to make way for housing and infrastructure, but Swedavia has a contract to operate the airport until 2038.

Daniella Waldfogel, CEO of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the announcement and said it meant that the closure of Bromma should be “moved forward”.

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