Growing Drone Threats to European Airports
Across Europe, drones have become an increasingly visible risk to critical infrastructure. From Polish airspace to Danish and Norwegian airports, suspected drone activity has repeatedly forced closures and disruptions. The pattern extends to the south of Sweden near Karlskrona, underscoring how quickly a small unmanned aircraft can threaten large, complex air operations. In the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine, security services report a surge in drone sightings and seek tighter coordination between military, police, and intelligence bodies. The consensus among experts is sobering: drones expose a real vulnerability in the protection of critical infrastructure, and defending against them is not yet standardized across borders.
The Swiss Example: Progress Amidst Persistent Gaps
Switzerland offers a microcosm of the broader European challenge. The Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (OFAC) notes a clear rise in drone-related incidents over the past three years, with 68 reports of potentially dangerous situations in 2024 and already 50 in the current year. Most incidents involve leisure drones, but the threat is taken seriously given the proximity to busy runways and control zones. While some airports have begun investing in detection technologies, others have been slower to adopt, highlighting a patchwork of preparedness across the federation.
Saint-Gall-Altenrhein: A Pioneer in Detection
The regional airport of Saint-Gall-Altenrhein leads the way by installing a professional drone-detection system. The setup uses passive sensors from a foreign vendor and operates without interfering with existing air traffic systems. When a drone is detected, the system forwards its position and a live image to the control tower, enabling timely and informed decisions.
Zurich and Other Swiss Airports: Mixed Deployments
The Zurich airport has deployed a similar detection network that can identify drones in real time and trigger alerts as needed. It can distinguish registered drones from unregistered ones, aiding incident documentation and post-event analysis, and it can even temporarily halt traffic if the situation demands. Yet coverage remains inconsistent across the network of Swiss airports. Geneva and Basel-Mulhouse have provided assurances about action plans, but details on concrete deployments are scarce, citing security and confidentiality concerns.
Berne-Belp: A Candid Account of Constraints
By contrast, Berne-Belp, a smaller regional airport, openly acknowledges it lacks a drone-detection system. Cost considerations are cited as a major obstacle, even as the airport handles a mix of private jets and visits by government officials. The administrator also warns that a drone could collide with an aircraft on takeoff or be drawn into a jet engine, emphasizing that regional facilities are particularly exposed to cost-versus-risk calculations.
Technologies, Risks, and Limitations
Experts note that quadricopters, easily available to enthusiasts and capable of precise GPS-guided flights, can bypass geofencing and intrude into restricted airspace. A drone capable of carrying 500 grams of explosives or more could threaten a jet engine, a wing, or a fueling area, potentially causing catastrophic outcomes. The Swiss Army and other authorities have explored counter-drone measures, including jamming devices that disrupt drone communications. However, such tech can also affect civilian GPS and mobile networks, underscoring the delicate balance between security and everyday access to communications services. No single solution guarantees total protection; the arms race between drone technology and defense systems continues to evolve.
What Needs to Happen Next
Looking ahead, Europe needs a more standardized, cross-border approach to drone defense. This includes expanding reliable detection networks to cover more airports, integrating drone data with air-traffic management, and developing clear, enforceable procedures for responding to drone incursions. The Swiss paper on defense against drones points to substantial gaps and highlights a planned investment of about 100 million Swiss francs, aimed at strengthening air defense infrastructure and initial counter-drone capabilities by 2033. While funding is essential, it must be coupled with interoperable systems and practical drills that bring local airport staff, air controllers, and law enforcement into a cohesive response framework.
A Broader Context: Europe’s Security Challenge
Across the continent, civilian airports and police forces are preparing for drone threats as part of broader security modernization. The war in Ukraine and the rise of hybrid warfare tactics have sharpened the focus on how to deter, detect, and defend against unconventional airborne threats. In this evolving landscape, no airport can claim complete safety; the priority is to reduce risk through continuous evaluation, shared best practices, and scalable, cost-conscious defense measures that can be deployed from regional to international levels.
