Drone sighting at Brussels Airport triggers rogue drone procedure

Belgian air traffic control provider skeyes has confirmed that a drone was observed at Brussels Airport on the evening of Friday, September 11, after an initial impression that the reported drone had not been detected.

The sighting disrupted operations at the airport between roughly 21:45 and 22:10 local time. A skeyes spokesperson, Kurt Verwilligen, said the drone was seen by both a supervisor air traffic controller in the control tower and members of the airport's security team. He told Belgian media the object was indeed a drone.

Because the sighting occurred in an area deemed a risk to aircraft operations, skeyes activated its Rogue Drone Procedure, which sets out how controllers and other parties respond when an unauthorised drone poses a potential threat to aircraft.

Under the procedure, a runway inside a drone danger zone is taken out of service and operations are moved progressively to another runway, an approach Verwilligen said is intended to avoid closing the whole airport unnecessarily. Departing aircraft continued to operate. Arriving aircraft due to land on runways 25R and 19 were placed in holding patterns, and several aircraft were seen circling over the Brussels area while the situation was resolved.

The first report came in at about 21:45. According to the airport, no aircraft were affected.