Drone at Brussels Airport: skeyes halts flights for 30 minutes
A drone was spotted in the vicinity of Brussels Airport on Saturday evening for the second night in a row. Air traffic controller skeyes visually identified the device and, this time, also registered it digitally via detection equipment. That is the difference from Friday, when the report was based solely on a visual sighting.
According to the so-called Rogue Drone Procedure, there must be a thirty-minute interval between the last sighting and the resumption of operations. "Operations resumed at 8:20 p.m.," says Kurt Verwilligen, spokesperson for skeyes. An investigation into the incident is underway.
Brussels Airport itself provides a different picture. The airport says it did not receive any reports of a possible drone on Saturday and speaks of no disruption, no diversions, and no delays, according to spokesperson Quentin Mertens. This contradiction between the air traffic controller and the airport has not yet been clarified.
On Friday evening, a drone report did have consequences for passengers. Aircraft had to wait above the airport for permission to land, and three flights were ultimately diverted, two of them to Ostend.
What this means for you: if you are departing from or arriving at Zaventem in the coming days, keep in mind that a drone report can halt operations for at least half an hour each time, even when the airport itself reports no disruption. Check the status of your flight with your airline before you leave for the airport, and keep in mind for evening flights that a diversion to Ostend is possible. Anyone operating a drone is not permitted to fly in the zone around the airport. Violations are being investigated.