Brussels Airport is set to resume normal operations on Wednesday, November 5th after dozens of flights were halted due to suspected drone sightings on Tuesday evening. According to airport spokeswoman Ariane Goossens, around 400–500 passengers were forced to spend the night at Zaventem Airport as air traffic was suspended twice for safety reasons.
Belgium’s air traffic control company, Skeyes, stopped all flights at Brussels-Zaventem and Liège around 8:00 p.m. and again at 10:00 p.m. after drones were reportedly seen in nearby airspace. The country’s second-largest airport, Charleroi, also briefly halted departures and arrivals as a precaution.
The incident follows a growing wave of drone activity across Europe. Just days earlier, flights were suspended at Germany’s Bremen Airport after an unidentified drone appeared overhead. In October, airports in Munich and Berlin faced similar interruptions, affecting thousands of passengers.
Belgian military intelligence has launched an investigation after drones were also reported last weekend over the Kleine-Brogel airbase, believed to house U.S. nuclear weapons. Defence Minister Theo Francken said it appeared to be a coordinated and professional operation aimed at causing disruption.
“They are trying to sow panic in Belgium. This is destabilisation,” Francken told local media.
