Five pilots were blinded by laser beams just before landing at Brussels Airport this weekend, air traffic controller Skeyes has confirmed.
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Five pilots landing at Brussels Airport blinded by lasers
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The pilots had laser pointers shone in their faces while flying over Dilbeek in Flemish Brabant as they prepared to land at Zaventem. The first incident took place on Friday evening at 21.45 and the last on Saturday morning at 2.43. According to DPG Media, local police immediately dispatched a patrol but could not find the perpetrators.
In 2025, there were 169 incidents in which pilots were targeted with laser pointers, an increase of 80% on the previous year. In the 10 years prior to that, the number of similar incidents had fallen sharply, according to Skeyes’ annual report. These are criminal offences, punishable by imprisonment.
There has recently been controversy over the intensive use of flight path RNP 07L by planes at Brussels Airport. Around 40 families from Dilbeek, Lennik and Roosdaal announced last week that they were suing the Belgian state over severe noise pollution. It is not clear whether the laser incidents are connected.