Traffic at Brussels Airport was interrupted on Friday evening after a drone sighting prompted the activation of an aviation safety procedure, Belgian air traffic control operator Skeyes said on Saturday.
- Brussels Airport activates drone safety procedure
- Skeyes provides limited details on drone incident
- Earlier Belgian drone sightings raised security concerns
- Belgian authorities previously announced counter-drone measures
- Airport operations resume after reported drone disappears
- Drone sightings remain an aviation safety concern
Skeyes spokesperson Kurt Verwilgen said the procedure requires traffic at the runway to be halted and can only be lifted 30 minutes after the last reported sighting of the drone. The suspension affected airport operations for approximately half an hour, according to the operator.
The spokesperson did not provide information on the size, model or origin of the drone. He also declined to state how many aircraft were diverted, delayed or otherwise affected during the disruption.
The drone was no longer visible after the sightings, Verwilgen said.
Brussels Airport activates drone safety procedure
The interruption occurred under a formal procedure used when an unauthorised drone is reported in the vicinity of an airport runway. Such sightings can affect take-offs and landings because aircraft operating at low altitude during departure and arrival phases may be exposed to a collision risk.
Skeyes, which manages air traffic control services in Belgian airspace, said the procedure involved stopping runway traffic until 30 minutes had passed from the last sighting. The agency did not release a detailed timeline of when the drone was first observed, when airport traffic was halted, or when normal operations resumed.
No details were immediately released about whether the reported drone was seen by airport personnel, pilots, air traffic controllers or another party. Skeyes also did not say whether Belgian police, aviation security authorities or other government agencies were involved in responding to the incident.
Brussels Airport is Belgium’s principal international airport and serves as a major passenger and cargo hub. A temporary halt to runway operations can lead to arriving flights being held in the air, redirected to alternative airports, delayed on departure or rescheduled, depending on aircraft positions and operational conditions.
Reuters reported that Skeyes did not specify the number of diverted flights.
Skeyes provides limited details on drone incident
Verwilgen said the drone procedure was launched following the sighting. Under that protocol, traffic is interrupted at the runway until 30 minutes after the last observation of the device.
The air traffic control operator did not identify the person or authority that initially reported the drone. It also did not state whether the object was detected by a technical system or observed visually.
The available information did not include any report of injuries, aircraft damage or further security incidents connected with the disruption. Nor did Skeyes provide details about the drone’s flight path, altitude, distance from the runway or direction of travel.
The operator said the drone disappeared after the sightings.
Authorities did not publicly attribute the Friday incident to any individual, group or foreign state. No information was released to indicate who operated the drone or whether an investigation had identified a launch location.
Earlier Belgian drone sightings raised security concerns
The Brussels Airport disruption came almost a year after Belgium recorded a series of drone sightings near civilian airports, military sites and a nuclear power plant, according to Reuters. Those earlier incidents caused operational disruptions and prompted heightened official concern about the security of sensitive infrastructure.
In November of the previous year, Belgian authorities announced plans to purchase defensive kamikaze drones from a Latvian company after the earlier incursions. The decision followed reports of unauthorised drone activity near locations including civilian airports, military bases and a nuclear power plant.
Belgian officials said at the time that the incursions carried what they described as hallmarks of Russian interference. However, they also acknowledged that they had no proof establishing Russian responsibility. Russia denied involvement.
The previous incidents placed drone activity near critical infrastructure under increased scrutiny in Belgium. Civil aviation facilities, military installations and energy sites are subject to security measures intended to prevent unauthorised access and reduce risks to operations.
Friday’s event at Brussels Airport was reported by Skeyes as a separate drone sighting. The agency did not link it to the earlier incidents and did not provide evidence of any connection.
Belgian authorities previously announced counter-drone measures
Belgium’s announcement last November concerning the purchase of defensive drones followed the earlier sequence of sightings. The planned acquisition was part of an official response to concerns raised by incursions near facilities considered strategically important.
The authorities did not publicly establish responsibility for those previous sightings. While Belgian officials referred to possible Russian interference, they stated that no proof had been found. Russia rejected the allegation.
Counter-drone measures can include detection equipment, procedures for closing or restricting airspace, coordination between aviation authorities and security services, and systems intended to intercept or disable unauthorised aircraft. No information was released on whether any such equipment was used during the Friday incident at Brussels Airport.
Skeyes’ immediate response was the operational procedure requiring runway traffic to be suspended after the drone was observed. The reported duration of the disruption was about 30 minutes.
Airport operations resume after reported drone disappears
The drone was no longer visible after the sightings, according to the Skeyes spokesperson. The available report indicated that the airport’s traffic interruption was limited to the period required by the drone procedure.
It was not immediately clear whether flights scheduled during the interruption were diverted, delayed, cancelled or reassigned to other runways. Skeyes did not provide a figure for diverted aircraft and did not release details on the impact on departing passengers or arriving travellers.
The incident occurred on Friday evening, a period when airports may be handling a combination of scheduled European services, long-haul arrivals and cargo movements. Brussels Airport and airlines operating there had not provided additional public details in the report.
The air traffic control operator’s account confirmed that the interruption was precautionary and followed its established response procedure for drone sightings near a runway.
Drone sightings remain an aviation safety concern
Unauthorised drone activity near airports can require air traffic authorities to restrict runway use while the location and status of the object are assessed. The procedure described by Skeyes required traffic to remain interrupted for 30 minutes after the last sighting.
In the Brussels incident, the available information did not establish how long the drone was visible before the procedure began. It also did not establish whether the drone was recovered, whether its operator was located or whether law-enforcement authorities opened a case.
Skeyes said only that traffic was disrupted for half an hour, that the drone procedure was activated and that the device disappeared following the sightings.
The Friday disruption added a new reported airport incident to Belgium’s recent record of drone-related security concerns. Officials had previously responded to sightings around civilian and critical sites with plans to strengthen defensive capabilities, while leaving responsibility for the earlier incursions unproven.
