Traffic halted at major European airport after multiple drone sightings
Air traffic at Eindhoven Airport was brought to a standstill on Saturday evening after several drone sightings forced authorities to suspend all arrivals and departures for hours, according to Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans. The disruption began shortly after nightfall and lasted for around two hours before normal operations were restored later in the evening.
Traffic halted at Dutch airport
Brekelmans confirmed on X that the Dutch Defence Ministry had taken immediate action. However, he noted that no further details could be released at this stage due to security concerns. “Disruption of air traffic with drones is unacceptable. We are taking action against this,” he wrote. Defence officials added that drone-interception systems had been placed on standby while the incident was being investigated.
The suspension followed a separate incident one day earlier, when the Dutch military shot down several drones detected above the Volkel Air Base, located roughly 40 kilometres from Eindhoven, according to 24.hu. When asked about the origin of the drones, the ministry declined to provide information.
Het vliegverkeer op luchthaven Eindhoven is zojuist hervat.
— Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin) November 22, 2025
Defensie heeft maatregelen getroffen, maar kan vanwege veiligheidsredenen nu nog niet meer informatie delen over de wijze waarop.
Verstoring van vliegverkeer met drones is onaanvaardbaar. Dus treden we hiertegen op.
Drone incidents on the rise across Europe
The grounding of flights in Eindhoven comes in the middle of a noticeable surge in drone-related disruptions across Europe. In recent months, several countries have reported unauthorised drone activity near sensitive facilities or in national airspace.
In September, more than 20 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace, according to Warsaw, while three Russian aircraft violated Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes. On Saturday, Russian drones again targeted areas of Ukraine close to the Romanian border, prompting two F-16 fighter jets to take off in response.
EU officials have warned that such incidents may be part of larger destabilisation efforts. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described the wave of unauthorised drone incursions as a form of “hybrid warfare” aimed at undermining security and disrupting critical infrastructure.
With investigations ongoing, Dutch authorities have not yet indicated whether the Eindhoven drone sightings are connected to any of the recent international cases.