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Stockholm airspace to close for Joe Biden visit

TT/The Local
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Stockholm airspace to close for Joe Biden visit
Biden and Swedish PM Stefan Löfven during a March 2015 meeting. Photo: Tomas & Monica Enqvist/TT

Airspace over central Stockholm will close temporarily this week for US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Sweden, the Swedish Transport Agency has decided.

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A temporary no-fly zone will be in place from 5pm on August 24th until 10pm on August 25th. Along with airplanes it will also cover paragliders, drones, and even model airplanes.

Regular flights to and from the Swedish capital’s Arlanda and Bromma airports will not be impacted by the measure however, having previously filed their flight plans.

The transport agency’s decision to close central Stockholm airspace followed an application from Swedish police ahead of the US Vice President’s trip.

The City of Stockholm meanwhile has advised motorists to leave their cars at home and use public transport during the official visit, with some parts of the city completely closed to traffic, and roads to and from Arlanda airport also affected.

Biden is in Sweden on Thursday to discuss bilateral and international issues, with a key point on the agenda being “global responsibility for migration and refugees”, according to the Swedish Government.

“Relations between Sweden and the US have rarely been as good as they are now, and I see his visit as an expression of this,” PM Stefan Löfven commented ahead of the meeting.

Biden’s counterpart US Secretary of State John Kerry has also been in Sweden this month. His visit was not an official one however, but for a family wedding.

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