Belgium’s Brussels and Liege airports faced closures on Tuesday evening following drone sightings, leading to the diversion of multiple incoming flights and halting departures. Kurt Verwilligen, a representative from the Belgian air traffic control service, disclosed that a drone was spotted near Brussels Airport, prompting its temporary closure as a safety measure.
Although Belgium’s busiest airport briefly resumed operations after a two-hour disruption, it was shut down again due to additional drone sightings, with uncertainty surrounding the resumption of flights. Brussels Airlines, the national carrier, reported that 15 outgoing flights were grounded, while eight incoming flights had to be redirected to alternate airports.
Liege Airport, primarily utilized as a cargo hub, also experienced closure due to drone sightings, as confirmed by an airport spokesperson. These incidents followed previous drone sightings over a Belgian military air base during the past weekend. Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken expressed to public broadcaster RTBF that the events of Tuesday seemed orchestrated by skilled individuals aiming to disrupt the country.
In recent months, drones have caused significant disruptions across Europe. Instances include the closure of Copenhagen Airport for four hours and Oslo Airport for three hours due to drone sightings in September. Furthermore, suspected Russian drone infiltrations into Polish and Romanian airspace were reported. Munich’s airport also had to close twice within a 24-hour period due to drone activities disrupting operations.