90% of drone flights in Belgium last year were unauthorized: Report

Nine out of ten drone flights detected in Belgium's sensitive airspaces last year were unauthorized, according to local media reports Tuesday.

Air traffic authority Skeyes said more than 31,000 drone movements were registered in 2024 around airports and military zones, Belgian daily L'Echo reported.

"Most of the drones we detect with our fully automated system are recreational drones operated by people who haven't requested a flight plan," said Skeyes CEO Johan Decuyper. "We can then inform the police about the location of the drone and its pilot. But very few drones pose a real safety risk."

SkeyDrone, a subsidiary of Skeyes, currently identifies an average of 30 drones per day around Brussels Airport.

Authorities registered nearly 21,000 permit applications for drone flights last year around airports in Brussels, Charleroi, Liege, Antwerp, Ostend, and Kortrijk, as well as in military areas. That figure marked a 40% increase compared to two years earlier.

Earlier this month, EU states, including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, and Denmark, reported airspace violations or disruptions by drones. Russia has denied its involvement.