Flights at Belgian airports faced significant disruption Tuesday due to suspected drone activity, with all departures and arrivals suspended at Brussels Airport, the nation’s busiest.
Air traffic at Brussels Airport was initially halted around 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) following a reported drone sighting. A brief resumption an hour later was followed by another immediate closure.
Liège Airport has also been impacted, and the resumption of flight operations remains uncertain. Local media outlets further report alleged drone sightings near the Kleine-Brogel and Florennes military airbases.
This incident marks the latest in a series of suspected drone sightings causing interruptions at European airports, including Munich, Copenhagen, and Oslo.
A statement posted on the Brussels Airport website Tuesday evening confirmed: “There are currently no departing or arriving flights at Brussels Airport due to drone sightings around the airport.”
“We monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as soon as we have more information.”
Images from inside the airport show what appear to be temporary beds being prepared for stranded passengers.
Officials at Charleroi Airport, Brussels’s second-largest, confirmed a brief suspension of air traffic as a precautionary measure.
Local media indicate initial flight diversions to Liège before its closure due to suspected drone sightings.
Reportedly, flights are now being redirected to alternative airports, including Ostend and Charleroi in Belgium, as well as Eindhoven and Maastricht in the Netherlands.
Tuesday marks the fourth consecutive night that Belgian authorities have reported drone sightings over Kleine-Brogel, a key military base near the Dutch border.
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken stated on Monday that an investigation is underway, describing the incidents as “a clear mission targeting Kleine Broge.”
Drones were also reportedly sighted near Ostend and Antwerp’s Deurne airports over the weekend, according to Belgian news source VRT.
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