Since then, unmanned aerial vehicles/military drones have flown regularly over a Belgian military air base. This led to colossal chaos at some of the busiest airports nationwide. What followed was the closure of Brussels Airport’s doors—permanently—to any future security breaches. According to FAA spokesperson, authorities spotted a drone close to the airport shortly before 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday. This incident has focused attention on the safety of air traffic in general and the increasing number of drone incidents happening throughout Europe.
That drone sighting caused airport authorities to spring into action. Brussels Airport, Belgium’s largest and busiest airport re-opened after two hours of disruption. It had to shut down again after more drone incidents. Belgium Liege Airport, primarily a cargo hub, closed down operations Tuesday night. This decision came after several other similar encounters had stepped up tensions. Most of the planes arriving at the airport were diverted. A good number more were stopped from departing, creating a domino effect on air travel across the entire region.
According to Kurt Verwilligen, spokesperson for Belgocontrol, the Belgian air traffic control service, retweeted confirmation of the drone sighting on March 28 near Brussels Airport. He stressed the importance of high level security to protect passengers and that with drone attacks increasing, the need for it is more urgent than ever. These recent developments portend an alarming trend, as drones have wreaked havoc throughout Europe in recent months. In September, Copenhagen Airport and Oslo Airport dramatically caved in. They underwent four-hour and three-hour closures, respectively, because of confirmed drone incursion on the field.
Now the situation in Belgium becomes even more complicated with reports of suspected Russian drone incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace. This underscores the complexities of balancing airspace security and special event management in the region. The repeated disruptions at airports underscore the necessity for enhanced surveillance and control measures to address the potential threats posed by unauthorized drone activities.
