Flights halted at Brussels Airport due to suspected drone sightings

FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN suspended at the main airport in Belgium’s capital after suspected drone sightings.

“There are no flights departing or arriving due to suspected drones,” a Brussels Airport spokesman said.

Air traffic has also been halted as a precaution at the second-largest airport Charleroi, operators there said.

No details were given regarding the estimated duration of the disruptions.

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Skeyes, the company responsible for air traffic control in Belgium, did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

The interruptions come after a recent spate of mysterious drone incidents targeting airports and sensitive military locations in several European countries, including Germany, Denmark, Norway and Poland. 

Over the weekend, Belgian authorities reported drone activity over the Kleine-Brogel military base, where a number of US nuclear weapons are believed to be stored.

Belgian military intelligence said it was conducting an investigation into the sightings.

Defence Minister Theo Francken on Monday refused to point the finger at Russia, but said that it appeared to be a coordinated operation carried out by “professionals”.

“They are trying to sow panic in Belgium,” Francken told local media. “This is destabilisation.”

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Suspicions have swirled over potential Russian involvement in increased drone activity across Europe, with tension high as the war in Ukraine drags through its fourth year.

EU leaders are keen to work with Ukraine’s war-tested expertise as they seek to bolster their own defences and build a “drone wall” to counter the threat from Moscow.

The recent drone incidents in Denmark and high-profile aerial incursions from Moscow in Estonia and Poland have heightened fears that Russia’s assault on Ukraine could spill over Europe’s borders.

In a post to X, Irish MEP Barry Andrews said: “When will Europe/Ireland invest in anti-drone technology? What is the legal situation to force down drones? Who is launching them and from where? Most importantly, is Dublin Airport prepared?”

With reporting from © AFP 2025 

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