Brussels Airport Chaos: Drones Ground Dozens of Flights

Hundreds of passengers due to fly from Brussels-Zaventem Airport on Wednesday morning are stuck after 54 flights were cancelled. This happened because the airport's airspace was temporarily closed on Tuesday due to drones flying near the terminal.

The airport had announced twice on Tuesday night that air traffic was halted "for security reasons." It slowly started operating again on Wednesday, but many flights were delayed, and 22 flights leaving Brussels were cancelled, along with 32 arriving ones.

Among the cancelled flights leaving Brussels on Wednesday morning, three were heading to the Spanish cities of Madrid, Bilbao, and Tenerife. In turn, three flights from those Spanish cities to Brussels were also cancelled, the airport told EFE news agency.

The situation has caused a lot of uncertainty for passengers at the airport. Staff provided water and food to those affected, who are now waiting for alternative flights.

One passenger, Antón, was in Brussels for work and had his return flight to Bilbao cancelled "without explanation." He complained that his airline's only solution was to rebook him on a flight leaving Brussels this Saturday. "It makes no sense," he said. "For me, it's almost better to go by car or train."

While there was little information at first, passengers slowly learned more throughout the morning. Daniel, also travelling to Bilbao, explained: "They told us there were two drones at the airport; that seems to be the problem why they cancelled the flights. For security. I understand that. I'll fly today or maybe tomorrow."

Félix, from Nicaragua, who was flying to Berlin, said that "after much insistence," passengers were told the cancellations were "due to a recent drone incident." He added that while the drones didn't threaten airport buildings, they did disrupt the airspace.

"In my case, they had put me on another flight, but they suspended that one again, and now I'm waiting for a third alternative," he said.

Vince, from Vietnam, is even more worried because his work visa for Europe expires on Wednesday. "That means I have to leave Europe before the end of today; otherwise, I don't know what will happen next," he explained.

Brussels Airport confirmed that flights are slowly getting back to normal. According to the Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad, between 500 and 1,000 people had to spend the night at the airport, where they were given beds, food, and drinks.

Beyond the airport incidents, there have been other drone sightings in recent weeks near important sites. The most recent was last weekend near the Kleine-Brogel military airbase, close to the Dutch border.

Belgian authorities are now working on a faster plan to deal with these drone incursions. The Army has been told to shoot down drones if it can be done safely and "without causing collateral damage." Authorities have also suggested that these incidents could be attempts at espionage by Russia.