Air traffic suspended at Netherlands airport after drone sightings

According to the Dutch defense minister, several drone sightings caused delays in air traffic at Eindhoven Airport in the south of the Netherlands.

Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans reported the disruption to the media on Saturday afternoon at 11 p.m. (22:00 GMT), and traffic resumed.

The minister stated that “Defence has taken steps.” No additional information can be shared out of fear of security.

Eindhoven serves both as a military airport and as a civilian airport. According to Brekelmans, all forms of air traffic were suspended.

The Ministry of Defense lacked further information when asked if the source of the drones was known.

Following drones and other airspace incursions that have caused significant disruption in recent months, Europe has experienced this incident.

Three Russian military jets flew over 20 Russian drones into Poland’s airspace in September, and for 12 minutes, three of them flew over Estonian airspace.

Since then, numerous drone flights, whose origins are largely unknown, have slowed down European airspace operations.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, refers to the incursions as “hybrid warfare.”

drones are targeted by the military

The Dutch military opened fire on drones over Volkel Air Base in the east of the nation on Friday, according to the Defense Ministry, but no damage was found.

The air force fired ground-based weapons to take down the drones after receiving reports from security staff at the base between 7pm and 9pm on Friday (between 17:00 and 19:00 GMT), according to a statement from the ministry.

The drones left the area, according to the statement, and they were not recovered.

Unknown drone flights have been involved in a number of incidents recently reported near military installations in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium.

According to the ministry, it was unclear why the drones were hovering above and around the air base, but both the Dutch military and civilian police were conducting an investigation. For security reasons, no additional details were provided.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force utilizes Volkel Air Base.