More drones spotted over Volkel Air Base just hours after Eindhoven Airport shutdown
Drones were observed again over Volkel Air Base Saturday evening, hours after multiple drones forced a temporary suspension of flights at Eindhoven Airport, Dutch Defense officials confirmed Sunday. Drones are strictly prohibited over airports and military bases.
State Secretary for Defense Gijs Tuinman said on WNL op Zondag that authorities “detected them and ultimately deployed means to, essentially, chase them away,” applying to both Volkel and Eindhoven. He did not specify the number of drones or the methods used to remove them, and their origin remains unknown.
The incidents follow a Friday sighting at Volkel, where ten drones were detected. Defense personnel fired weapons in an attempt to bring the drones down, but they escaped.
Saturday night, Eindhoven Airport — which also functions as a military base — temporarily suspended all civilian and military flights.
Six inbound flights were rerouted to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, and Weeze in Germany. Two departing flights to Málaga and London remained grounded, with passengers kept on board at Ryanair’s request. Security staff escorted travelers out of the terminal after midnight despite freezing temperatures.
“We are on top of it. Minister Brekelmans and I are working together, he from Halifax in Canada. We have the top of Defense together. Regarding this, we have a kind of operational headquarters, day and night,” Tuinman said.
Volkel hosts a squadron of F-35 fighter jets, while Eindhoven houses Hercules transport aircraft and A330 refueling planes. Tuinman warned, “Anyone caught flying a drone in these areas is breaking the law and could spend some time in jail.”
