Why 16 fighter jets flew over Stockholm on Wednesday

Stockholm residents may have been surprised to hear loud noise and see the sight of 16 fighter jets flying over the Swedish capital on December 13th, but it's nothing to be alarmed about.

Published: 13 December 2017 14:42 CET

Why 16 fighter jets flew over Stockholm on Wednesday

Jets also flew over other Swedish cities like Malmö. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

The manoeuvre by the jets in a Christmas tree-shaped formation is simply a way of sending “Christmas greetings to the public” the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) explain on their website, so there's no need to duck for cover.

Swedish Air Force over the Royal Palace in Stockholm a couple of minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/HLS4AABEiL

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) December 13, 2017

Försvarsmakten kommer denna och nästa vecka att flyga “julgran” över stora delar av Sverige. Läs mer om när och var här: https://t.co/BoWUimM7Og #svfm #julgran #godjul

— Försvarsmakten (@Forsvarsmakten) December 11, 2017

Jets performed the same manoeuvre in other parts of Sweden on Tuesday, but in some places weather issues meant it had to be cancelled. There were concerns the same could happen in Stockholm, but the fly-over in the capital ultimately went ahead at around 2.30pm.

Watch a video of the 'Christmas tree' formation below.

Very nice christmas tree passing right over FlightRadar24 office in Stockholm#julgransflygning pic.twitter.com/ph3Gc9oFwc

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 13, 2017