New drone sighting around Brussels Airport, air traffic briefly halted

Brussels Airport air traffic control reportedly spotted an unidentified object — possibly a drone — flying near the airfield shortly after 10:00 local time today, prompting multiple aircraft to enter holding patterns and await clearance. As a precautionary safety measure, arrivals and departures were delayed during a period of fifteen minutes. 

This is not the first time recent weeks have seen drone-related disruptions in Belgian airspace. On 4 November 2025, Brussels Airport was briefly shut down after drones were seen flying over the airfield. The disruption forced the diversion of several flights to nearby airports such as Charleroi and Liège. Delays — or even cancellations — affected dozens of flights and left hundreds of passengers stranded overnight.

Just days later, on 13 November 2025, a further drone sighting triggered another suspension of flight operations at Brussels Airport for roughly 30 minutes. Two incoming flights were diverted to Liège before resuming later with delays.

Meanwhile, air traffic resumed. Small delays, however, are likely.