Two airports in Belgium shut down after drones are spotted flying overhead
Belgium’s Brussels and Liege airports were closed on Tuesday evening following drone observations, preventing many incoming planes from diverting and preventing others from taking off.
Belgian air traffic control agency spokesman Kurt Verwilligen said a drone was seen near Brussels Airport shortly before 8pm local time (1900 GMT) and was later shut down as a security measure.
Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened after a two-hour outage, but was closed again after more drones were spotted. It was unclear when flights would resume.
National carrier Brussels Airlines said that 15 outgoing flights could not take off, while eight incoming flights were diverted to other airports.
Liege Airport, which is used mainly as a cargo hub, was also closed due to drone sightings, the airport spokesman said.
Belgian news source VRT also reported that there was drone activity near the Florennes military base, while air traffic at Charleroi Airport was temporarily stopped as a precaution.
In the statement on the website of Brussels Airport, the following statements were made: ‘Following drone observations on Tuesday evening, flight operations at Brussels Airport were suspended for security reasons.
Brussels Airport was closed after reports of a drone sighting, the Belgian air traffic control service and an airport spokesman said. Image: Travelers wait in an empty departure hall at Zaventem airport as air traffic is suspended following a reported drone sighting in Zaventem outside Brussels on November 4, 2025.
Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesman for the Belgian air traffic control service, said a drone was seen near Brussels Airport shortly before 1900 GMT, so the airport was closed as a security measure.
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‘This disruption has led to delays and some flight cancellations and may still affect flight operations on Wednesday morning.
‘Airlines will contact affected passengers with updated travel options. Brussels Airport teams are doing everything possible to help stranded passengers.
‘We are monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates as soon as we have more information.’
Photos taken at the airport show camp beds prepared for passengers.
According to the Belga news agency, Belgian Minister of Internal Affairs Bernard Quintin asked Prime Minister Bart De Wever to convene the National Security Council after what happened.
‘We will not allow our airports to be disrupted due to uncontrolled drone flights. This requires a coordinated, national response, Quintin said, adding that passenger and staff safety remains the government’s top priority.
The federal police and the Ministry of Defense are monitoring the situation closely.
Located 12 kilometers northeast of Brussels, the airport is an important international hub serving destinations such as the UK, Dubai and Türkiye.
Flight data on the Brussels Airport website shows numerous delays and cancellations; FlightRadar24 reports that many flights were diverted.
The last flight departing is to Prague at 19:30, and the last flight arrives at the airport from the Spanish island of Tenerife at 19:50.
Flights were initially diverted from Brussels Airport to Liège Airport, but were also closed due to the drone alert.
French broadcaster RTBF reported that flights to both airports were diverted to Maastricht and Cologne airports.
‘There is no evidence yet of a link between the reports in Brussels and Liège,’ the air traffic controller told RTBF.
The incidents come after drones were seen at a Belgian military air base over the weekend.
Defense Minister Theo Francken told public broadcaster RTBF that Tuesday’s incident appeared to have been carried out by professionals intent on destabilizing the country.
Drones have caused serious disruption in Europe in recent months.
Following drone observations in September, Copenhagen Airport was closed for four hours and Oslo Airport was closed for three hours.
Russian drone attacks on Polish and Romanian airspace were also suspected.
