BRUSSELS: The main airport in Belgium’s capital is expected to resume normal operations on Wednesday, after halting some 80 flights after suspected drone sightings, a spokeswoman said.
Some 400-500 passengers had to spend the night at Zaventem airport because of the sightings, Brussels Airport spokesman Ariane Goossens told AFP.
“The situation will return to normal during the day” as flights restart, she said.
On Tuesday night, air traffic was also halted as a precaution at the second-largest airport Charleroi, operators there said.
Skeyes, the company responsible for air traffic control in Belgium, halted flights twice on Tuesday night, around 8:00 p.m. (1900 GMT) and around 10:00 p.m. (2100 GMT), after suspected drones were seen near the Brussels-Zaventem airport and that of Liege.
The interruptions come after a recent spate of mysterious drone incidents targeting airports and sensitive military locations in several European countries, including Germany and Denmark.
Suspicions have swirled over potential Russian involvement in increased drone activity across Europe, with tension high as the war in Ukraine drags through its fourth year.
Over the weekend, Belgian authorities reported drone activity over the Kleine-Brogel military base, where a number of US nuclear weapons are believed to be stored.
Belgian military intelligence said it was conducting an investigation into the sightings.
Defense Minister Theo Francken on Monday refused to point the finger at Russia, but said that it appeared to be a coordinated operation carried out by “professionals.”
“They are trying to sow panic in Belgium,” Francken told local media. “This is destabilization.”
Brussels airport to resume flights after drone sightings
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Brussels airport to resume flights after drone sightings
- Skeyes, the company responsible for air traffic control in Belgium, halted flights twice on Tuesday night after suspected drones were seen near the Brussels-Zaventem airport and that of Liege
UK wants closer EU defense ties with potential bid to join new SAFE fund
- European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and other EU officials are due in London for talks this week
- Starmer has tried to work more closely with the EU and remove some post-Brexit trade barriers
BEIJING: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government will consider applying to join a second possible multi-billion-euro European Union fund for defense projects as his ministers prepare for talks with EU counterparts this week.
The European Commission is considering launching a second edition of its SAFE loans scheme as Europe seeks to bolster its defenses due to growing fears of Russia and doubts about US security commitments to Europe under President Donald Trump.
A British plan to join the original 150 billion-euro ($177 billion) SAFE fund broke down in November after Starmer’s government refused to pay a financial contribution to join, representing a setback for a post-Brexit reset of relations.
Asked if Britain would seek to join a new version of SAFE, Starmer said Europe needed to do more to rearm.
“That should require us to look at schemes like SAFE and others to see whether there is a way in which we can work more closely together,” he told reporters on his way to China last week. The comments were scheduled for release on Sunday.
“Whether it’s SAFE or other initiatives, it makes good sense for Europe in the widest sense of the word — which is the EU plus other European countries — to work more closely together.”
European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and other EU officials are due in London for talks this week.
Starmer has tried to work more closely with the EU and remove some post-Brexit trade barriers in contrast to the rancorous relations between previous Conservative governments and the EU as they negotiated Britain’s departure from the bloc, which was completed in 2020.
He has also taken a leading role in co-ordinating European support for Ukraine.
Under the SAFE scheme, the EU jointly borrowed money on financial markets to lend to countries in the bloc for defense projects.
Asked about recent criticism from Nigel Farage, whose Reform UK party is leading in the polls, who said the governing Labour government was moving too close to the EU, Starmer said the Brexit campaigner had repeatedly misled the public.
“I wouldn’t listen too much to what Nigel Farage has to say about this,” Starmer said. ($1 = 0.8440 euros)
