Drone sightings caused suspension of air traffic at Eindhoven airport, impacting both civilian and military operations.
Published On 22 Nov 2025
Air traffic at Eindhoven airport in the south of the Netherlands has been suspended due to multiple drone sightings, the Dutch defence minister has said.
“Counter-drone equipment is ready to act”, Ruben Brekelmans wrote on X on Saturday. “Further investigation is ongoing, and action will be taken where necessary.”
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Eindhoven serves both as a civilian and as a military airport. All types of air traffic were suspended, Brekelmans said. Asked if it was clear where the drones had come from, the Ministry of Defence had no additional comment.
The incident comes after drones and other airspace incursions caused considerable disruption across Europe in recent months.
In September, more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, and three Russian military jets violated Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes.
Since then, many drone flights, the origins of which are mostly unknown, have disrupted airspace operations in Europe.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called the incursions “hybrid warfare”.
Military fires at drones
Separately on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said the Dutch military opened fire at drones over Volkel Air Base in the east of the country on Friday, but no wreckage was recovered.
Security staff at the base reported the drones between 7pm and 9pm on Friday (between 17:00 and 19:00 GMT), prompting the air force to fire ground-based weapons to take them down, the ministry said in a statement.
“The drones left the area and were not recovered,” the statement said.
In recent weeks, a series of incidents involving unidentified drone flights have been reported near military sites in the Netherlands and neighbouring Belgium.
Both the Dutch military and civilian police were investigating, according to the ministry, which said it was unclear why the drones were flying above and around the air base. No further details were provided, citing security reasons.
Volkel Air Base is used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
In the Netherlands, the use of drones near all airports is prohibited for flight safety reasons in addition to other security reasons around military facilities, the statement said.
