One drone, hundreds of stranded passengers: how prepared is your organization?

The recent closure of Copenhagen Airport following multiple drone sightings once again highlights how vulnerable our airports and other critical infrastructures are to unexpected disruptions. Flights were halted, operations delayed, and hundreds of passengers were grounded. Such incidents clearly demonstrate how essential it is for organizations to have a clear, shared overview — known in professional terms as “situational awareness.”

Situational awareness means that all relevant departments — from security to operations and crisis management — understand at any given moment what is happening, where it is happening, and what the potential impact might be. In complex environments such as airports, police departments, ports, or power plants, this is crucial: when information is scattered across different teams and systems, a lack of overview can lead to delays, poor decisions, or even safety risks.

Achieving that situational awareness is only possible when there is a Common Operational Picture (COP): a shared view that brings together data, images, and alerts. Such a COP forms the heart of a modern control room:

• it combines real-time video footage, radar, and sensor data,
• displays relevant incidents on a single visual dashboard,
• and synchronizes decision-making across departments and teams.

When everyone looks at the same up-to-date picture, information silos disappear and a coordinated response emerges. Whether it’s a drone incident, a power outage, or a logistics disruption — better visibility brings calm, speed, and control.

At BIS|Econocom, we help organizations strengthen their situational awareness through integrated control rooms that centralize, visualize, and translate information into one clear view of reality. This enables teams to react faster, collaborate more effectively, and follow up on incidents more efficiently — from detection to resolution.

The closure of Copenhagen Airport is therefore more than just a news story: it’s a reminder that overview and collaboration in critical situations can make the difference between chaos and control.

Want to learn more about the possibilities of a Control Room? Contact our specialists. Call 015 287 487 or fill in the form on the right.