Flights halted at Brussels airport after reported sighting of drone
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A sign is illuminated outside the Brussels Airport after the Belgian air traffic control service reported a sighting of a drone, in Zaventem, Belgium.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BRUSSELS - Flights were suspended on Nov 4 at the main airport in Belgium’s capital after suspected drone sightings, a Brussels Airport spokesman said.
“There are no flights departing or arriving due to suspected drones,” the spokesman told AFP.
Air traffic was also halted as a precaution at the second-largest airport Charleroi, operators there said.
No details were given regarding the estimated duration of the disruptions.
Skeyes, the company responsible for air traffic control in Belgium, did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
A departures board displays multiple flight cancellations and delays at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, on Nov 4.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The interruptions come after a recent spate of mysterious drone incidents targeting airports and sensitive military locations in several European countries, including Germany and Denmark.
Over the weekend, Belgian authorities reported drone activity over the Kleine-Brogel military base
Belgian military intelligence said it was conducting an investigation into the sightings.
Defence Minister Theo Francken on Nov 3 refused to point the finger at Russia, but said that it appeared to be a coordinated operation carried out by “professionals”.
“They are trying to sow panic in Belgium,” Francken told local media. “This is destabilisation.”
Suspicions have swirled over potential Russian involvement in increased drone activity across Europe, with tension high as the war in Ukraine drags through its fourth year. AFP
A police vehicle is parked outside the Brussels Airport after the Belgian air traffic control service reported a sighting of a drone, in Zaventem, Belgium.
PHOTO: REUTERS
