Business travel in and out of Belgium came to an abrupt halt on the evening of 4 November 2025 when air-traffic authorities ordered an immediate stop to all take-offs and landings at Brussels-Zaventem Airport after a drone was sighted inside the control zone . The closure—implemented minutes before 20:00 local time—lasted almost three hours and led to the diversion of long-haul arrivals to Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, while short-haul aircraft entered unscheduled holding patterns before being rerouted to regional airports. Security services patrolled the perimeter but were unable to locate the device, highlighting the difficulty of counter-UAV enforcement around large passenger hubs.
Although drone incursions have become a growing European problem, this is the first time Belgium’s main airport has been brought to a stand-still since 2018’s wild-cat strike. Some 25,000 passengers were affected, including several delegations attending EU Council meetings scheduled for the following day. Airlines such as Brussels Airlines and Ryanair scrambled to re-book travellers, warning of residual disruption through 5 November as crews and aircraft reposition .
![Drone incursion forces complete shutdown of Brussels Airport]()
For corporate mobility managers, the incident underscores the importance of dynamic itinerary monitoring. Travel-risk consultancies noted that the closure happened without prior intelligence indicators and advised multinational firms to review crisis-response plans, especially because Brussels Airport is a key Schengen gateway for executives relocating to EU headquarters.
Belgium’s federal transport minister promised an accelerated rollout of counter-drone radar and jamming systems and called on the European Commission to finalise long-awaited anti-drone protocols for civil aviation. Until technological safeguards are in place, air-traffic provider Skeyes will rely on visual confirmation and temporary airspace freezes whenever a drone is reported—an approach that could translate into more unplanned delays during the busy winter conference season.
Although drone incursions have become a growing European problem, this is the first time Belgium’s main airport has been brought to a stand-still since 2018’s wild-cat strike. Some 25,000 passengers were affected, including several delegations attending EU Council meetings scheduled for the following day. Airlines such as Brussels Airlines and Ryanair scrambled to re-book travellers, warning of residual disruption through 5 November as crews and aircraft reposition .
For corporate mobility managers, the incident underscores the importance of dynamic itinerary monitoring. Travel-risk consultancies noted that the closure happened without prior intelligence indicators and advised multinational firms to review crisis-response plans, especially because Brussels Airport is a key Schengen gateway for executives relocating to EU headquarters.
Belgium’s federal transport minister promised an accelerated rollout of counter-drone radar and jamming systems and called on the European Commission to finalise long-awaited anti-drone protocols for civil aviation. Until technological safeguards are in place, air-traffic provider Skeyes will rely on visual confirmation and temporary airspace freezes whenever a drone is reported—an approach that could translate into more unplanned delays during the busy winter conference season.
