Civil and military air traffic at Eindhoven Airport in the southern Netherlands has been suspended after several drones were detected intruding into the facilities, which also house a military air base. The Ministry of Defense later indicated that the number of unmanned devices involved in what is the second such accident in the country in less than 24 hours is unknown.
On Friday night the Dutch air force attempted to shoot down other drones from the ground spotted above the Volkel base, in the east of the country, about 40 kilometers from Eindhoven. According to the Ministry, weapons were used in the operation. The drones, which had moved away, were not recovered.
“Anti-drone teams are ready to act,” Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on his account on the social network X. “There is an ongoing investigation,” he added.
The unmanned aircraft detected above Volkel was discovered by surveillance personnel between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, and then the Air Force sprung into action. In an official statement, the Ministry of Defense said that military police and law enforcement had been informed of the incident.
In the Eindhoven airport incident, flights had to be diverted to airports in Rotterdam, Brussels and Weeze, Germany. It is not yet clear what type of drones were spotted over the structures. The Ministry of Defense stated that it is also investigating “who or what exactly is behind it”.
Current aviation regulations prohibit the use of drones near airports given the risk this poses to aviation. In the case of military bases and installations it is also a question of operational security. In recent weeks, several European countries have spotted drones over airports and military areas. It occurred, among others, in Germany, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Norway and Denmark.
