Belgium's Brussels Airport suspended operations on the evening of 4 November following reports of unidentified drones, according to VRT NWS and Nieuwsblad. Sources told VRT NWS that three drones were spotted over the airport.
The security incident forced Brussels Airlines to cancel 16 flights. Passengers were stranded at the terminal waiting for operations to resume.
Drones were also detected over the Kleine Brogel military base, where American nuclear weapons are stored. Local residents reported six UAVs in the area, though police only confirmed two, the publications report.
The base went into heightened alert status. Federal police responded to the scene and checked suspicious vehicles in the vicinity.
Belgium's Interior Minister Bernard Quintin requested Prime Minister Bart De Wever urgently convene the National Security Council following the repeated drone appearances.
"We cannot allow our airports to be disrupted by unauthorized drone flights. This requires a coordinated and national response," Quintin said.
This marks the second drone incident near Kleine Brogel in recent days. Unknown drones were spotted near the base during the night of 1 November. Kleine Brogel serves as the Belgian army's main air base and houses American nuclear weapons. The facility is scheduled to host new F-35 fighter jets starting in 2027.
