Drone sightings force temporarily closures across several airports in Belgium

Airspace over several Belgian airports in different areas of the country was temporarily closed on the evening of November 4, 2025, following reports of drone sightings in the country. 

The first drone was seen near Brussels Airport (BRU), the country’s busiest airport, at approximately 20:00 local time. In a public announcement on its website, the airport stated that flight operations were suspended “for safety reasons”. 

Skeyes, the Belgian air traffic control authority, suspended flights at Brussels Airport twice on November 4, 2025, first around 20:00 local time and again at 22:00 local time. 

“This disruption has led to delays and some flight cancellations,” the airport said, warning that further flight operations might still be impacted on the morning of November 5, 2025. 

Ariane Goossens, a spokesperson for Brussels Airport, said that the airport is expected to return to normal operations on November 5, 2025.  

Commenting on the likely cause of the drone sightings, Belgian Minister of the Interior and Security Bernard Quintin told Radio 1’s De Ochtend: “It could be either Russia or a hobbyist. I remain cautious,” adding that the ministry is investigating all possible leads.

Flight chaos: How many flights were affected? 

According to data from flight tracking website FlightAware, Brussels Airport saw 34 cancellations and 36 delays for departing flights, while flights arriving at the airport saw 27 cancellations and 14 delays on November 4, 2025. 

Flights scheduled to land in Brussels were redirected to other airports, such as Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST). 

Between 400–500 passengers were left stranded at Brussels Airport and had to spend the night there due to the flight disruptions. The airport spokesperson said beds were set up for passengers’ comfort, while food and water were also provided. 

Drone activity was also observed near Liège Airport (LGG), which is one of the largest cargo hubs in Europe.  

Local media reported disruptions in air traffic at other airports, including Antwerp International Airport (ANR), Ostend–Bruges International Airport (OST), and Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), Belgium’s second-largest airport. 

As a precaution, local authorities temporarily suspended air traffic at Brussels South Charleroi Airport. Additionally, the airport handled six diverted flights from Brussels Airport. Four by Brussels Airlines, one by Ryanair, and one by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). 

Air bases targeted by drones 

On November 4, 2025, around the same time, six drones were also spotted near the Kleine Brogel Air Base significantly important location from which the Belgian Air Force operates its F-16 fighter fleet. The location also stores US nuclear weapons as part of NATO nuclear sharing. Local residents also reported seeing drones over Florennes Air Base, where Belgium recently took delivery of its first F-35A fighters. 

This is not the first drone incident to have occurred at Kleine Brogel. Belgian officials noted drone activity at the base over the course of the weekend of November 1 to 2, 2025.  

“This is very concerning, worrying,” commented Belgian Defense Minister Théo Francken. “They come to spy, to see where the F-16s are, where the munitions are, and other highly strategic items.” 

In recent months, several NATO countries, such as Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark and Norway have reported airspace violations thought to be connected to Russia, although Moscow has denied any involvement. 

#1. The timing and frequency of intrusions: Peak incidents took place between Sept 20-Oct 5, where an intense cluster of unusual activity was reported across northern and Western Europe. It began with #Denmark and spread outward within span of around ten days. pic.twitter.com/qBdgROs08u— Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo (@elisabethmalom1) November 3, 2025 The post Drone sightings force temporarily closures across several airports in Belgium appeared first on AeroTime.

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