Copenhagen Airport received a binding security order from the Danish transport authority Trafikstyrelsen on October 6, 2026, and the stricter screening that followed has produced queues of up to 90 minutes. The airport declines to say what the order concerned.
According to reporting by DR, the order was issued on October 6 and led to tightened measures in the airport’s security screening two days later, on October 8. The airport has not disclosed what the order specifically required.
DR interviewed the airport’s operations director, Kristoffer Plenge-Brandt, who declined to go into the concrete circumstances. He described the order as restrictions imposed on the security process at Copenhagen Airport. Per Plenge-Brandt, the extended procedures have required more staff from the airport’s security teams.
Queues on several days in October
A press release from the airport, cited by DR, lists periods of long waiting times on October 8, 22 and 23. Early in the morning on Saturday, October 24, queues and waiting times reached up to an hour. On October 23, the wait at security was up to an hour and a half.
The airport also acknowledges that it underestimated how much staffing was needed on individual days in October. As reported by Politiken, the stricter controls meant more passengers had their hand baggage checked manually, while the airport maintained that flying remained safe.
The Copenhagen Post reported on October 27 that the delays could continue into the following week. In that coverage, the airport advised passengers to arrive two hours before departure.
The airport will not detail the order
Asked by DR how passengers can trust the airport without knowing what happened, Plenge-Brandt pointed to the nature of dealing with an authority. He said the airport does not communicate concretely about the content of an order. He added that he is fairly confident passengers and partners respect that.
The airport has previously stated that it cannot go into the specific elements of the order for security reasons. In a written comment to DR, communications director Lise Agerley Kürstein said the airport appreciates when authorities point out conditions in its procedures that can improve its high security level.
Per Kürstein, it is, and always has been, safe to fly from Copenhagen Airport, and the order does not change that. The airport apologizes for the inconvenience the long waiting times have caused passengers. According to Kürstein, staff are doing everything they can to give travelers a good experience.
What the security order means for internationals flying from Copenhagen
Trafikstyrelsen is the Danish authority that supervises aviation, and a påbud is a legally binding order an authority issues to a company. In this case, the airport says the order placed restrictions on its screening process, and it has not published the grounds. For international residents who use Copenhagen Airport to visit family abroad, the practical effect so far has been longer waits at security, not changes to documents or boarding rules.
Based on the sourced facts, the measures took effect on October 8 and were still in place when DR published on October 28. The airport’s advice, as reported by The Copenhagen Post on October 27, was to arrive two hours before departure, and Politiken reported more manual baggage checks. What the order actually demanded, and how long the extra procedures will last, has not been disclosed by the airport or Trafikstyrelsen.
