Belgian authorities temporarily closed the airspace above Brussels Airport (EBBR), Charleroi Airport (EBCI) and Liège Airport (EBLG) on Tuesday evening following multiple reports of drones flying near several strategic aviation sites, including civilian airports and military bases.
Air traffic halted at three major airports
According to an operational update from NMOC Brussels (Eurocontrol), all three airports were placed under a zero-rate restriction — meaning no aircraft could depart or arrive — until 01:00 UTC (02:00 local time) due to ongoing incidents involving drones.
Earlier in the evening, Brussels Airport had already confirmed a temporary shutdown of its air operations after drones were spotted near the airfield. Flights approaching the airport were diverted, initially to Liège, before diversions were redirected again to nearby airports like Maastricht, Eindhoven, Ostend-Bruges and Cologne, as drone sightings were also reported over Liège Airport.
Airspace briefly reopened
Brussels Airlines later confirmed that the airspace above Brussels Airport had been reopened after no further drone activity was detected for at least 30 minutes. Arrivals and departures briefly resumed.
Drones also reported near military air bases
Belgian media report that the drone incidents were not limited to civilian airports. Drones were also seen above the military air base of Florennes in the province of Namur — where Belgium’s first F-35 fighter jets are stationed — and near Kleine-Brogel Air Base in Peer.
Witnesses in Kleine-Brogel reported seeing up to six drones, two of which were confirmed by local police. Security around the base was heightened, and a federal police helicopter was deployed to the area. Authorities have not confirmed any direct link between the sightings at the civilian airports and the military bases.
Investigation ongoing
Belgian air traffic controller skeyes told RTBF that no evidence has yet been found connecting the drone reports over Brussels and Liège. The federal police are investigating the incidents.