Bilzen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The drone attack in Bilzen caused raw eggs to fall, during which some hit customers eating at McDonald’s outside. “My clothes are soiled, and we don’t know who it is,” says Sita Slechten. The McDonald’s corporate statement reports an ongoing investigation of this incident.
A drone released raw eggs throughout Bilzen and specifically targeted a McDonald‘s where outdoor eating was taking place. Several eyewitness accounts documented how the eggs hit clothes and cars alongside commercial buildings in Bilzen.
McDonald’s, in partnership with local authorities, is conducting an investigation which did not result in any police complaints. According to drone specialists, these drone operations break Belgian legislation, which restricts drone usage for object delivery.
“There were also 2 cases in a café, and it also happened at a gas station and a factory. The police are aware,” says Sita Slechten. She was eating outside when it happened.
“I was there with my mom. We were eating outside, and suddenly, I saw a drone. Before I knew it, an egg came towards me. It got on my hand and on my clothes, they are all smeared. We have no idea who did it.”
Another man had an egg land on his van. “I was parked a few kilometres away. I clearly saw the drone. It was a very large one because, at first, I thought it was a police drone. I also saw that the egg was attached with some kind of string. Suddenly, an egg was dropped. I don’t understand it. So I reported it to the police.”
“I’ve never heard of this before. I suspect it’s mischief,” says Guy Verhoeven of drone shop Droneland in Sint-Truiden. “Dropping or towing things with a drone is still prohibited by law in our country.”
Raw eggs fall from the sky in Bilzen: “Drones that can do this are used to drop lifebuoys.”
“If you have someone who gets into trouble at sea, the drones can drop lifebuoys. People who are stuck in the mountains can be supplied with drones,” Verhoeven explains.
“We are not going to speculate about who is behind it,” says spokesperson Florent Baudewyns. “McDonald’s Belgium hopes that its customers can continue to enjoy wonderful feel-good moments in our restaurants and beyond.”
The police have not received any official complaints about incidents at McDonald’s. “We did receive a report of a drone that had dropped something in Munsterbilzen,” says Chief of police Dirk Claes. “But when our team arrived on the scene, they found nothing or no one. In that case, there is not much we as police can do.”
What is the prevalence of drone-related incidents in Belgium’s Limburg province?
The Directorate-General for Aviation (DGLV) reports that drone registrations in Belgium have continuously grown to exceed 30,000 units by 2023. Several drone incidents have occurred in the Bilzen area throughout recent years within the province of Limburg, which reports unauthorised flights near airports along with privacy violations.
The Belgian police received 178 drone-related complaints across the country in 2022, with Limburg affecting 12% of these complaints, making it third on the provincial complaint list.
Since 2020, Belgium has documented only five drone-based object delivery operations throughout its territory. All drone operations in Belgium fall under strict Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) rules that bar unauthorised payload releases. Drone operators who drop objects will face penalties that include fines reaching €4,000, along with the confiscation of their equipment.
The Belgian city of Bilzen, with its 32,000 population, has never experienced incidents of drone-delivered eggs. The local police have intervened in three drone-related disturbances that mainly involved unauthorised nighttime operations in 2021 and 2022. McDonald’s Belgium runs more than 80 restaurants throughout the country but has experienced no drone disturbances at its locations.
Experts agree that commercial drones used for payload delivery missions with medical supplies or life buoys need to meet the specific requirements of BCAA certification.
All available witness statements indicate that the drone used in the Bilzen event operated illegally since it lacked authorisation. The ongoing police analysis of CCTV surveillance produces no evidence to identify suspects, according to police updates.
