Drone activity has resulted in the temporary shutdown of two significant airports in Belgium, causing flight suspensions at both Brussels Airport and Liège Airport.

According to the Belgian news outlet VRT, there have also been drone reports near the Florennes military base.

“All departures and arrivals are currently on hold due to potential drone activity,” a representative from Brussels Airport informed the local press.

In response to these sightings, Charleroi Airport, the country’s second-largest, has also paused air traffic as a preventative measure, according to airport officials.

Kurt Verwilligen, speaking for Belgium’s air traffic control, stated that just before 1900 GMT, a drone was spotted in the vicinity of Brussels Airport, prompting its closure as a safety measure.

Flight data on the Brussels Airport website shows a number of delayed and cancelled flights, with FlightRadar24 reporting some have been diverted. 

Located 12 kilometres northeast of Brussels, the airport is a major hub for international travel, serving locations including the UK, Dubai, and Turkey. 

A message on the airport’s website reads: ‘There are currently no departing or arriving flights at Brussels Airport due to drone sightings around the airport. 

Brussels Airport is closed after the reported sighting of a drone, said the Belgian air traffic control service and a spokeswoman for the airport. Pictured: Travellers wait in an empty departure hall at Zaventem airport as air traffic is suspended following a reported drone sighting, in Zaventem outside Brussels, on November 4, 2025

Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the Belgian air traffic control service, said that shortly before 1900 GMT a drone had been seen near Brussels Airport, and the airport had therefore been closed as a security precaution

‘We will provide updates as soon as we have more information.’

The last flight that appears to have departed is the 19:30 to Prague, with the last arrival into the airport at 19:50 from the Spanish island of Tenerife. 

Flights were initially diverted from Brussels Airport to Liège Airport, but it also closed due to a drone alert.

French broadcaster RTBF are reporting flights to both these airports were also diverted to Maastricht and Cologne airports.

The air traffic controller told RTBF ‘There is no evidence yet of a link between the reports in Brussels and Liège.’

Over the weekend, Belgian authorities reported drone activity over the Kleine-Brogel military base, where a number of US nuclear weapons are believed to be stored.

The Belgian military intelligence is conducting an investigation into the sightings

Belgium Defence Minister, Theo Francken remained tight-lipped on blaming Russia but said ‘professionals’ carried out the coordinated operation.

‘They are trying to sow panic in Belgium,’ Francken told local media. 

He described it as ‘destabilisation.’

With the war on Ukraine now in its fourth year, tensions remain high as questions are raised over potential Russian involvement in increased drone activity across Europe. 

In September, Copenhagen Airport and Oslo Airport had to be closed briefly as a result of drone sightings, while drones were also seen over a Belgian military air base last weekend.

All traffic was halted and after unidentified drones were ‘spotted nearby’ at Copenhagen Airport at around 8.26pm local time on September 22.

The airport reopened at around 12.30am but delays and cancellations are expected to continue.

Between two and three ‘large’ drones were sighted in the area, Copenhagen police spokesperson Henrik Stormer said, and the airport revealed the drones remained present in the area for several hours afterwards.

At least 35 flights were diverted to other sites, including Malmo and Gothenburg, Sweden, and Billund, Aalborg, and Aarhus, Denmark.

Later in the evening, Oslo Airport in Norway was also forced to close and divert its planes after drones were spotted in the vicinity.