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.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 30-01-2025 21:53 IST | Created: 30-01-2025 21:53 IST
Belgium's Airspace Resumes Operations After Brief Shutdown
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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.)

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