Belgium’s Brussels and Liege airports were closed on Tuesday evening after drone sightings, diverting many incoming planes and preventing others from taking off.
Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the Belgian air traffic control service, said shortly before 8pm local time (1900 GMT) a drone had been seen near Brussels Airport, which was then closed as a security precaution.
Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened after two hours of disruption, but was closed again after more drone sightings. It was unclear when flights would resume.
National carrier Brussels Airlines said 15 outbound flights were unable to take off, while eight incoming flights were diverted to other airports.
Liege Airport, used principally as a cargo hub, was also closed due to drone sightings, an airport spokesperson said.
Belgian news outlet VRT also reported drone activity near Florennes military base, while air traffic was temporarily suspended at Charleroi Airport as a precaution.
A statement on Brussels Airport website reads: ‘Following drone sightings on Tuesday evening, flight operations at Brussels Airport were suspended for safety reasons.
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‘This disruption has led to delays and some flight cancellations and might still impact flight operations on Wednesday morning.
‘Airlines will contact affected passengers with updated travel options. Brussels Airport teams are doing everything possible to assist stranded passengers.
‘We monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as soon as we have more information.’
Pictures taken inside the airport show what appear to be camp beds being prepared for passengers.
Belgian Minister of the Interior Bernard Quintin has asked Prime Minister Bart De Wever to convene the National Security Council following the sightings, according to the Belga news agency.
‘We will not allow our airports to be disrupted by uncontrolled drone flights. This requires a coordinated, national response,’ Quintin said, adding that passenger and staff safety remain the government’s top priority.
The federal police and Ministry of Defense are closely monitoring the situation.
Located 12 kilometres northeast of Brussels, the airport is a major international hub serving destinations including the UK, Dubai, and Turkey.
Flight data on the Brussels Airport website shows numerous delays and cancellations, with FlightRadar24 reporting that several flights have been diverted.
The last flight that appears to have departed is the 19:30 to Prague, with the last arrival into the airport at 19:50 from the Spanish island of Tenerife.
Flights were initially diverted from Brussels Airport to Liège Airport, but it also closed due to a drone alert.
French broadcaster RTBF are reporting flights to both these airports were also diverted to Maastricht and Cologne airports.
The air traffic controller told RTBF ‘There is no evidence yet of a link between the reports in Brussels and Liège.’
The incidents followed drones seen over a Belgian military air base during the weekend.
Defence Minister Theo Francken told public broadcaster RTBF that Tuesday’s incident appeared to be carried out by professionals intent on destabilising the country.
Drones have caused considerable disruption across Europe in recent months.
In September, Copenhagen Airport was closed for four hours and Oslo Airport for three hours following drone sightings.
There were also suspected Russian drone incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace.
