Drone disruptions continue in Belgium: brief suspension at Liège Airport on Friday morning

Air traffic at Liège Airport was briefly suspended again on Friday morning following the sighting of a drone near the FedEx facilities, according to Skeyes, the Belgian air traffic control authority. The suspension, which began at 06:56, has since been lifted, and operations have resumed with minimal impact on flight schedules, the airport confirmed.

This marks the third drone-related disruption at Liège this week, following similar incidents on Tuesday and Thursday evenings that also affected Brussels Airport. On Thursday night, both airports halted operations for around 30 minutes after drones were spotted nearby, while additional sightings were reported near Florennes Air Base, the SCK CEN nuclear research centre in Mol, and the European Quarter in Brussels.

The wave of sightings has prompted heightened security measures. Germany’s Bundeswehr has deployed units to Belgium to assist in detecting and countering small unmanned aerial systems, following a request from Belgian authorities. Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken described the incidents as part of a “coordinated and professional operation” aimed at destabilising the country, though he did not assign responsibility to any actor.

Belgium’s National Security Council has decided to make the National Airspace Security Centre (NASC) fully operational by January 1, reinforcing the country’s ability to respond to hybrid aerial threats.