Belgium’s Brussels and Liege airports were shut down on Tuesday evening following sightings of drones, causing incoming planes to be redirected and preventing others from departing. Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the Belgian air traffic control service, mentioned that a drone had been spotted near Brussels Airport, leading to its closure as a safety measure around 8 p.m. local time.
Although Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened after a two-hour disruption, it was closed again due to additional drone sightings, with the resumption of flights remaining uncertain. Brussels Airlines, the national carrier, reported that 15 outbound flights were grounded, while eight incoming flights had to be rerouted to alternative airports.
In addition to Brussels Airport, Liege Airport, primarily used as a cargo hub, was also forced to close due to drone sightings, as confirmed by an airport spokesperson. These incidents followed previous drone activities over a Belgian military air base during the weekend. Belgian Defence Minister, Theo Francken, expressed on a public broadcast that the drone incident on Tuesday seemed to be orchestrated by skilled individuals aiming to destabilize the country.
Across Europe in recent times, drones have caused significant disruptions. For instance, in September, Copenhagen Airport was shut down for four hours, Oslo Airport for three hours, and there were suspected drone intrusions into Polish and Romanian airspace. Munich’s airport also had to close twice within a 24-hour period due to drone-related issues.
