Drone sightings forced a flight suspension at Eindhoven Airport on Saturday night. Credit : PixelBiss, Shutterstock
Passengers at Eindhoven Airport had their evening thrown into chaos on Saturday when flights were suddenly halted after multiple drone sightings near the runway. It wasn't just commercial travel affected - military activity was paused too, sparking fears the incident could be linked to rising geopolitical tension.
The announcement came directly from Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans, who confirmed online that authorities had stepped in fast once the drones were spotted close to the southern Dutch airport.
"We have suspended civilian and military air traffic," he posted on X. Counter-drone units were ready to respond, and police were already on the ground investigating.
Flights eventually resumed at around 10pm, but the minister made it clear the situation isn't being taken lightly. "Further investigation is ongoing and we will take action where necessary," he said.
The shutdown followed a far more worrying incident the night before - this time over Volkel Air Base, only about 24 miles away.
Personnel there reportedly attempted to shoot down drones circling overhead between 7pm and 9pm. But the aircraft vanished without a trace, according to officials.
That base isn't just any airfield. It houses both Royal Netherlands Air Force units and a US Air Force squadron - making it one of the most sensitive military locations in the country and a key NATO installation.
No official would say what type of drones were seen, how many were in the sky, or where they might have come from. That silence has only ramped up anxiety.
This isn't just a Dutch problem. Northern Europe has been reporting a string of mysterious drone incursions, many of them buzzing around bases, airports and strategic sites.
While the Dutch government hasn't pointed the finger publicly, suspected Russian involvement is very much part of the conversation across the region.
With war still raging in Ukraine, NATO countries remain on alert for sabotage, intelligence-gathering and disruption tactics - especially ones that test how fast defences respond.
These aren't sophisticated military machines. In many cases, they appear to be small, commercially available drones - the kind you can buy online. But their locations tell a different story.
Someone is putting them exactly where they can cause the most concern.
After nearly two hours of uncertainty, Eindhoven Airport reopened and passengers were finally able to move again. But there were few answers for those caught up in the disruption.
Brekelmans wrote later that defence forces had taken action "but due to security reasons, it cannot yet share more information about the manner in which this was done."
His message was blunt: "Disruption of air traffic with drones is unacceptable. So we are taking action against it."
Even if travellers are now back in the skies, the unease remains very much on the ground.
Airports are already extremely sensitive to drones - a small object near a runway is enough to shut an entire operation down for safety. But when these drones show up next to a NATO military base one day and a major civilian airport the next, questions escalate quickly.
Are these simple troublemakers? Or something far more organised?
The Dutch Defence Ministry is keeping its cards close for now. More updates are promised once the investigation moves forward.
One thing is clear: Europe's security concerns aren't only on land anymore - they're in the sky above us.