Air traffic at Belgium’s two main airports was severely disrupted on Tuesday evening after multiple drone sightings forced the temporary closure of Brussels and Liege airports, diverting flights and grounding departures.
Kurt Verwilligen, spokesperson for the Belgian air traffic control service, said operations at Brussels Airport were suspended shortly before 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) after a drone was spotted near the runway.
The country’s busiest airport reopened two hours later but was forced to close again when additional drones were detected in the vicinity. Authorities did not confirm when flights would resume.
National carrier Brussels Airlines reported that 15 outbound flights were unable to take off, while eight incoming planes were diverted to nearby airports, including Amsterdam and Paris.
Liege Airport, a key European cargo hub, was also closed following similar sightings, an airport spokesperson confirmed.
The incidents come just days after drones were reported flying over a Belgian military air base.
Defence Minister Theo Francken told public broadcaster RTBF that the latest events appeared to be “well-coordinated actions” possibly aimed at destabilising the country, adding that authorities were investigating whether the same group was behind both incidents.
Drone-related disruptions have become an increasing concern across Europe. In recent months, airports in Copenhagen and Oslo were temporarily closed following drone activity, while Poland and Romania have reported suspected Russian drone incursions into their airspace.
Belgian authorities said they were working with aviation security and military experts to identify the operators and strengthen anti-drone measures at critical infrastructure sites.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
