All Flights Grounded At Brussels Airport After ‘drone Sighting’

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Brussels Airport has been closed and all flights grounded after the reported sighting of a drone, Belgian air traffic control has said.

“There are no flights currently landing or taking off,” a spokeswoman said, adding she could not estimate how long the airport would remain closed.

Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened on Tuesday evening after two hours of disruption, but was closed again after more drone sightings. It was unclear when flights would resume.

The smaller Liege Airport also said it was currently closed after drones had been seen.

Defence Minister Theo Francken told public broadcaster RTBF that the incident appeared to be carried out by professionals intent on destabilising the country.

Bernard Quintin, the minister of the interior, asked prime minister Bart De Wever to convene the National Security Council in response to the sighting.

“We will not allow our airports to be disrupted by uncontrolled drone flights. This calls for a coordinated, national response,” he said.

Travellers are facing delayed and cancelled flights (BELGA/AFP via Getty Images)

Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the Belgian air traffic control service, said that shortly before 7pm GMT a drone had been seen near Brussels Airport, and the airport had therefore been closed as a security precaution.

Flight data on the Brussels Airport website shows a number of delayed and cancelled flights, with FlightRadar24 reporting some have been diverted.

Located 12 kilometres northeast of Brussels, the airport is a major hub for international travel, serving locations including the UK, Dubai, and Turkey.

A message on the airport’s website reads: “There are currently no departing or arriving flights at Brussels Airport due to drone sightings around the airport. We will provide updates as soon as we have more information.”

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.

It follows similar closures in the Polish airport Lublin in September this year after multiple Russian drones reportedly crossed into Polish territory, leading to NATO fighter jets being scrambled to intercept them.

Following the incident, the Polish military’s operational command posted on X that ground-based air defence systems were on high alert, stressing that “these actions are preventive in nature” to secure Poland’s airspace and protect its citizens.

In September, Copenhagen Airport and Oslo Airport had to be closed briefly as a result of drone sightings, while drones were also seen over a Belgian military air base last weekend.

The nature of any drone incursion and how many drones may have been involved is not yet clear.

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