Brussels and Liège airports close after drone sightings

Brussels and Liège airports were forced to close on Tuesday night after drones were sighted near the hubs, in the latest incidents to highlight the vulnerability of European airspace.

Belgium’s air traffic control authority and government officials confirmed that drones had been spotted near Brussels Zaventem and Liège airports.

The airports were initially closed for 30 minutes around 20:45 local time, and then on an indefinite basis following further drone sightings, prompting the cancellation of flights.

A spokesperson for the Belgian defence minister Theo Francken said that security services were investigating but could not give further details.

The drone sightings are the latest in a series in Belgian airspace over the past week, including over military bases.

Francken said on Monday that drones had been spotted flying over a military base at Kleine Brogel near the Dutch border for three nights in a row.

He told the Belgian broadcaster VRT that it appeared to be a spying operation without giving more information.

Belgium is one of at least 10 European countries – including Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, France and Germany – that have had their airspace targeted by drones in the past three months. Some incidents have forced the closure of airports.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said that Russian involvement could not be ruled out after drone incursions into Danish airspace in September.

Fredriksen told reporters that she was “in favour” of shooting them down.

German politicians have also called for the authorities to be given the power to shoot down drones should they intrude into EU airspace.

The European Commission said last month that “recent repeated violations of the airspace of EU member states have shown the urgency of creating a flexible, agile and state of the art European capability to counter unmanned aerial vehicles”.

It has proposed that member states should take part in an “anti drone network” that builds on Ukraine’s experience of defending itself against Russian drones.