Belgium's Airspace Resumes Operations After Brief Shutdown

Belgium's airspace was briefly closed due to a technical issue with the Skeyes computer system. The disruption lasted just over an hour but caused a flight carrying the Slovak Prime Minister to turn back. Operations resumed after the system was rebooted.

Belgian airspace was temporarily closed for just over an hour on Thursday afternoon due to a technical malfunction in the air traffic controllers' Skeyes computer system, according to Brussels airport's social media update.

The disruption notably affected a flight carrying Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, forcing it to return to Slovakia instead of attending a meeting with European Commission officials in Brussels. By about 3 p.m. local time, it was evident that the system responsible for managing the airspace wasn't functioning correctly.

A Skeyes spokesperson informed VRT, a local news broadcaster, that aircraft within the affected airspace were rerouted to neighboring countries using a backup system until the issue was resolved. The primary airports in Belgium include Brussels Zaventem and Charleroi, among others.

(With inputs from agencies.)