It is the second disruption at Liege airport in the past week, following the sighting of a mysterious drone on Tuesday night.
Published November 7, 2025
Belgium’s Liege Airport has suspended operations for the second time this week after a series of drone sightings, the country’s air traffic control agency reported.
The drone was spotted around 7:30 a.m. (6:30 GMT) on Friday, and the airport was closed for 30 minutes. A spokesperson for Skies Air Traffic Control Service said it had now resumed operations.
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The disruption follows sightings of drones over Brussels and Liège airports on Tuesday night, which resulted in some incoming planes being diverted and others scheduled to depart being forced to land.
Dozens of passenger and cargo flights were canceled, forcing around 500 passengers to spend the night at the Belgian capital’s Brussels airport.
Defense Minister Theo Franken said the drone sightings in Brussels and Liege followed a similar incident on Saturday when three unauthorized drones were spotted near a military base.
Drone sightings have been occurring frequently in Belgium in recent days. The government convened an emergency meeting on Thursday to address the issue. Franken described the drone intrusion as a coordinated attack, but declined to say who was behind it.
“Hybrid War”
Mysterious drones have been wreaking havoc across Europe in recent months, as concerns grow that Russia’s war in Ukraine could spread beyond Europe’s borders.
Since September, drones have been spotted near civilian airports and military installations in countries including Denmark, Germany and Norway.
According to Reuters, Danish intelligence linked the drone flights to Russia, saying it was a form of hybrid warfare aimed at “putting pressure on[Europe]without crossing the line into armed conflict in the traditional sense.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the invasion a “hybrid war.” Although he did not hold Russia responsible for the incidents, he said it was clear that Russia’s aim was to “sow the seeds of division” in Europe.
The Russian government has denied any connection to the incident, and there is no evidence directly linking the drones to Russia.
In September, Polish and NATO forces shot down a drone that violated neighboring Ukraine’s airspace during a Russian airstrike.
