Major Cargo Hub Disrupted by Unauthorised Drones
Air traffic at one of Europe's most significant cargo airports was brought to a standstill following a series of drone sightings, an official confirmed on Friday. The incidents at Liege Airport are part of a worrying pattern of unauthorised drone activity occurring across Belgium in recent weeks, raising serious security concerns.
Chronology of the Disruptions
Christian Delcourt, the head of communications for Liege Airport, detailed that a sequence of flight interruptions was forced by drones. The first wave of suspensions occurred between 9 p.m. on Thursday and 1 a.m. on Friday. A second disruption then took place between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Friday, after which full operations were able to resume.
This is not an isolated case. Dozens of flights at Belgium's primary international hub, Brussels Airport, were cancelled on Wednesday. This came after drone sightings on Tuesday night prompted a temporary closure of the facility. This marked the first time that the airport in Brussels was shut down by drones, an event serious enough to prompt Prime Minister Bart De Wever to convene emergency government talks.
A Wider Pattern of Suspicious Activity
The airport incidents follow a series of unidentified drone flights over the weekend near the Kleine-Brogel military base, a site where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored. Further drone sightings were reported near the same base on Wednesday evening, intensifying fears of espionage or coordinated disruption.
Little concrete information emerged from Thursday's emergency talks. However, Defense Minister Theo Francken announced a decision to have the National Air Safety Center at Beauvechain air base fully operational by January 1. In a social media post, Francken stated, "This center will ensure better monitoring and protection of Belgian airspace, and prepare Belgium for future challenges in air safety."
Francken has previously expressed his belief that some of these incidents are part of "a spying operation" that could not have been conducted by amateurs. While Russia has been blamed for similar drone incidents elsewhere in Europe, Belgian authorities have not yet officially attributed responsibility for the recent flights.
The situation is particularly sensitive given Belgium's role as host to the EU headquarters and Europe's biggest financial clearinghouse, which holds tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets. Prime Minister De Wever has already warned EU leaders that Russia might retaliate if these funds are confiscated for Ukraine, a topic set for discussion at an upcoming EU summit in Brussels.
NATO declined to comment on whether drones had been spotted near its headquarters in Brussels, its military HQ in Mons, or other alliance facilities across the country, leaving the full scope of the security challenge unclear.
