Belgium closes airspace due to technical failure

Belgium had to temporarily restrict access to its airspace. All due to a technical failure in the country's air traffic control system.

On the evening of January 30, Belgium banned all aircraft from taking off and landing. This was reported by 24 Kanal with reference to De Standaard.

What happened

The Skeyes air traffic control service reported that technical problems arose at around 3:00 p.m. local time.

The company's spokesman, Kurt Verwilligen, clarified that the problems arose precisely in the air traffic control system, which is used to manage Belgian airspace. It was not functioning “properly”, he said.

All aircraft flying in Belgian airspace at around 7,500 metres at the time were diverted to neighbouring countries.

This was done in a safe manner using a backup system, a company spokesman said.

At 4pm Skeyes said the problem had been resolved and the computer system had been restarted. However, the cause of the failure has not yet been determined.