Within an hour of the shutdown at Brussels-Zaventem, freight-focused Liège Airport also suspended operations when air-traffic controllers reported at least two drones manoeuvring near its runways . Liège handles more than 8% of Europe’s air-cargo volumes and is home to the regional hubs of Alibaba’s Cainiao and FedEx Express; the unplanned stop forced dozens of freighters to divert to Cologne-Bonn and Leipzig, creating ripple effects in e-commerce supply chains.
Forwarders estimate that upwards of 2,400 tonnes of inbound perishables, pharmaceuticals and express parcels were delayed overnight. Belgian retailers warned that next-day delivery commitments could slip during the peak holiday season, while life-science shippers activated contingency cold-chain routings via Amsterdam-Schiphol. Logistics analysts noted that even a short suspension at Liège can translate into multi-day backlogs because of the airport’s near-24/7 slot utilisation.
![Liège cargo hub joins Brussels in emergency closure after multiple drone sightings]()
The incident prompted Belgium’s National Security Council to convene an extraordinary session (scheduled for 6 November) to discuss rapid deployment of mobile counter-UAV units around strategic infrastructure. Industry groups are lobbying for EU-funded detection grids similar to those tested at Copenhagen and Munich earlier this year.
For global-mobility teams moving high-value employees or critical spare parts through Belgium, the twin airport closures serve as a reminder to diversify routings and build buffer time into relocation schedules. Insurance brokers expect premiums for time-critical cargo transiting Belgium to rise modestly until new safeguards prove effective.
Forwarders estimate that upwards of 2,400 tonnes of inbound perishables, pharmaceuticals and express parcels were delayed overnight. Belgian retailers warned that next-day delivery commitments could slip during the peak holiday season, while life-science shippers activated contingency cold-chain routings via Amsterdam-Schiphol. Logistics analysts noted that even a short suspension at Liège can translate into multi-day backlogs because of the airport’s near-24/7 slot utilisation.
The incident prompted Belgium’s National Security Council to convene an extraordinary session (scheduled for 6 November) to discuss rapid deployment of mobile counter-UAV units around strategic infrastructure. Industry groups are lobbying for EU-funded detection grids similar to those tested at Copenhagen and Munich earlier this year.
For global-mobility teams moving high-value employees or critical spare parts through Belgium, the twin airport closures serve as a reminder to diversify routings and build buffer time into relocation schedules. Insurance brokers expect premiums for time-critical cargo transiting Belgium to rise modestly until new safeguards prove effective.
