A drone flying over the Brussels Airport caused temporary disruption to air traffic this past Friday. The disturbance resulted in three flights being diverted, while a second sighting the following evening had little impact on operations.
The first incident occurred on Friday around 21:45, when a drone was spotted over Zaventem. As a precaution, Brussels Airport suspended all landings for about 25 minutes. Three airplanes were diverted. A second drone was detected on Saturday evening around 19:50 within the critical safety zone around the airport's runways.
During the Friday sighting, aircraft were instructed to remain in holding patterns while the runways were closed as a precaution. Due to heavy traffic, three flights eventually had to divert. The Saturday sighting was less impactful since there was less traffic, so air traffic controllers were able to adjust and use a single runway.
According to the Belga News Agency, Belgium's air traffic control provider Skeyes stated that the drone was detected both visually and by radar systems.
Federal police have confirmed that an investigation to uncover the drone's operator is underway. There is apparently no clear indication that the incidents were the work of a criminal network or foreign power. One possibility that’s been strongly considered is that an amateur drone operator simply flew the device out of curiosity.
According to Skeyes' annual report, 46 unauthorised drone incidents were recorded in controlled airspace during 2025, a 475% increase compared to the prior year. As a result, the Belgian government has since invested heavily in drone detection and countermeasures.
