Brussels Airport has found itself at the center of a series of dramatic events this November, as Belgium grapples with a surge in drone activity, heightened security concerns, and looming labor unrest. The month has seen everything from the arrest of journalists with a drone near the airport, to a government scramble for new anti-drone technology, and even the announcement of a complete shutdown of flight departures due to an impending nationwide strike. Each incident has added a new layer of complexity to the already challenging task of keeping one of Europe’s busiest airports—and the country itself—secure and operational.
On November 14, 2025, police detained two Belgian journalists just outside the perimeter of Brussels Airport, seizing a small drone in the process. The pair, both carrying valid press cards, told officers they intended to use the drone to take photographs of the airport fence for press articles, according to a report by Drone Watch on November 17. One of the journalists was described as wearing a black ski hat and hoodie, adding a dash of intrigue to the already tense atmosphere surrounding the airport.
Despite speculation that the journalists might have been attempting to prove the ease of launching a drone near an airport—a notion that has circulated widely online—authorities found no evidence the drone had actually been flown in the vicinity. As a result, no official report was filed, though the Federal Police Aviation (LPA) unit did confiscate the drone. The incident, while notable, received surprisingly little media coverage compared to previous drone scares, many of which had been linked in the public imagination to Russian interference.
Further complicating the narrative, rumors quickly spread online connecting the two journalists to Het Laatste Nieuws, Belgium’s largest tabloid newspaper. DPG Media, the company behind Het Laatste Nieuws, responded swiftly and forcefully, denying any connection and threatening legal action against outlets that published the claim. The police, for their part, declined to specify which editorial office or media outlet the journalists were affiliated with, leaving the public to wonder who was really behind the incident.
The context for this episode is a broader wave of drone sightings and incursions that have put Belgian authorities on high alert. Earlier in November, a string of unidentified drone flights forced the temporary closure of both Brussels Airport and Liege, one of Europe’s major cargo hubs. The incidents didn’t stop there—other sightings have been reported near military bases, including the Marche-en-Famenne site where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored, and even the country’s nuclear power plant.
These incursions have triggered a flurry of speculation and concern among Belgian officials. Defence Minister Theo Francken has been particularly vocal, stating his suspicion that Russia is behind the drone activity. Moscow, however, has categorically denied any involvement. According to Euronews, Belgian officials believe their country is being closely watched, not least because Brussels is home to NATO and EU headquarters as well as Euroclear, Europe’s largest financial clearinghouse. Euroclear holds tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets—assets that some EU countries want to use as collateral for loans to Ukraine, a move that has drawn threats of retaliation from Moscow.
In response to the growing threat, Belgium has moved quickly to bolster its defenses. On November 19, the Belgian Defence Ministry announced a deal to purchase BLAZE interceptor drones from Latvian company Origin Robotics as part of a €50 million anti-drone package. The BLAZE, described by the manufacturer as a "man-portable, rapidly deployable interceptor designed to defeat fast-moving aerial threats," is expected to play a crucial role in protecting sensitive sites from unauthorized drones. Defence Minister Francken traveled to Latvia on November 17 to finalize the deal, and shared a photo of himself holding one of the drones at the company’s factory. "Step by step, we’re making Belgium more resilient against modern threats," he declared on X (formerly Twitter).
The new interceptors are just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Francken also revealed plans for a sweeping €500 million investment in a long-term anti-drone strategy, which will include advanced radar systems and expanded jamming capabilities. To further strengthen its position, Belgium has enlisted anti-drone teams from France, Germany, and the UK, who are providing both equipment and training. This international cooperation underscores the seriousness with which Belgium and its neighbors view the drone threat—a threat that has already forced airport closures across Europe in recent months, with Russian hybrid warfare operations widely suspected as the cause.
Despite the high-tech response, there are signs that Belgium’s existing resources have not always been fully utilized. The Federal Police have had an anti-drone unit available for four years, yet it was not deployed during the most recent incursions into Belgian airspace, including a notable incident on November 6. This revelation has raised questions about the country’s readiness to respond to such threats and whether bureaucratic inertia or gaps in coordination may be hampering efforts to keep the skies safe.
Adding to the turbulence, Brussels Airport announced on November 19 that all departing flights scheduled for November 26 would be cancelled due to a nationwide strike involving a significant portion of the airport’s security and handling staff. Some arriving flights may also be affected, and public transportation to and from the airport is expected to be disrupted. The strike—unrelated to the drone incidents but overlapping with them in time—threatens to bring the airport’s operations to a standstill, compounding the challenges faced by travelers, airlines, and authorities alike.
The convergence of these events—a high-profile arrest, persistent drone incursions, a scramble for new technology, and now a major labor action—has put Brussels Airport and Belgium’s security apparatus under intense scrutiny. While officials continue to investigate the origins and intent behind the drone flights, and as the government rolls out new measures to counter potential threats, the public is left to navigate a landscape marked by uncertainty and heightened vigilance.
For now, Belgium’s efforts to shore up its defenses and maintain order at its airports are being tested on multiple fronts. Whether the new interceptors and international support will be enough to deter future incursions—and whether the country can resolve labor disputes without further disruption—remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: in a world where technology and geopolitics increasingly intersect, the skies over Brussels are anything but calm.
