Belgium records 558 reports of suspicious drones since September

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - Belgium's National Crisis Centre (NCCN) received 558 reports of suspicious drones between September 2025, and Jan. 21, 2026, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said Tuesday.

Speaking before the competent parliamentary committee, Quintin said the first drone sightings in the country were reported on Nov. 4, the Belga news agency reported.

The incidents continued in the following days, forcing Brussels Airport in Zaventem and Liege Airport to suspend air traffic nine times.

Seven suspensions occurred in November and two more in December.

Among the 558 reports, 130 involved drones over military areas and 66 over nuclear facilities. Other sightings were reported above airports and Seveso industrial sites, he said.

He added that while the total number of sightings may be overestimated, some flights might have gone unreported.

The minister noted that the peak occurred in November, adding that the NCCN met on Nov. 6 but did not trigger a pre-alert or alert under the National Emergency Plan.

"The security services' assessment was that there was no imminent danger to our citizens or infrastructure, but rather acts of intimidation and disruption, likely linked to a state actor, in this case, Russia," he said.