'Back in business': Belgian airspace reopens, but flights still disrupted

'Back in business': Belgian airspace reopens, but flights still disrupted
Credit: Belga/Eric Lalmand.

The Belgian airspace has reopened after a technical problem at air traffic controller skeyes on Thursday afternoon. Flights to and from Brussels Airport are still reportedly disrupted.

No planes were temporarily able to land or take off at Belgium's main airports, including Brussels Airport. However, the skeyes computer system has been restarted and air traffic can now gradually resume.

At around 15:00, it emerged that the air traffic control system used by skeyes to operate the Belgian airspace was "not functioning as required," said skeyes spokesperson Kurt Verwilligen.

All aircraft flying at that time in the airspace that skeyes controls (up to about 7,500 metres altitude) were diverted to neighbouring countries. "This was done in a safe way using a back-up system," the spokesperson added.

Screenshot of Charleroi and Brussels Airport's air traffic at around 16:00 on Thursday. Credit: flightradar24

No aircraft were able to land or take off at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, as well as Charleroi, Antwerp, Ostend and Liège.

Screenshot of air traffic across Belgium at around 16:00. Credit: flightradar24

Brussels Airport – the biggest in Belgium – notified passengers of the temporary closure on its website. "Due to a technical problem at air traffic control, no air traffic is currently possible in Belgium. We have no idea yet how long this will last. Further updates will follow as soon as more information is available."

Since the airspace reopened, Brussels Airport has advised all passengers with a scheduled flight to still go to the airport and to check its website for flight updates. A flight to Munich (Germany) has been cancelled.

At Charleroi Airport, an incoming flight from Lisbon (Portugal) has been diverted, while the flight from Kraków (Poland) is still delayed, according to its website.

The technical issue has now reportedly been resolved. "We are back in business," said Verwilligen. "The system is operational again and is stable. Air traffic can gradually restart."

This article was updated at 17:00 with the latest information.

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