Belgium’s Brussels and Liege airports faced closure on Tuesday evening due to drone sightings, leading to the diversion of incoming flights and halting departures. Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the Belgian air traffic control service, announced that a drone was spotted near Brussels Airport, prompting its closure for security reasons around 8 p.m. local time.

Although Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened following a two-hour disruption, subsequent drone sightings forced its closure again, with uncertainty surrounding flight resumptions. Brussels Airlines reported that 15 outbound flights were grounded, while eight incoming flights were redirected to alternative airports.

Additionally, Liege Airport, primarily used as a cargo hub, was also shut down due to drone sightings, as confirmed by an airport representative. These incidents follow previous drone sightings over a Belgian military air base during the weekend.

Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken, speaking to public broadcaster RTBF, suggested that the drone incident on Tuesday may have been orchestrated by skilled individuals aiming to destabilize the country. Drone-related disruptions have been prevalent across Europe, with recent incidents leading to the temporary closure of airports such as Copenhagen and Oslo, as well as suspected drone incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace. Munich Airport also had to shut down twice within a 24-hour period due to drone activities.