Dutch authorities monitor airspace amid European drone sightings

While recent drone sightings disrupted airspace in Brussels, Liège, and Gothenburg, no drones have been reported in the Netherlands. Authorities, however, maintain active monitoring to protect airports and critical infrastructure, NOS reports.

Air traffic control in Amsterdam and Maastricht, along with the military center in Nieuw-Milligen near Apeldoorn, tracks large aircraft and drones. Smaller drones often escape radar, and local airport controllers, including at Eindhoven and Groningen, focus mainly on takeoffs and landings.

Tracking smaller drones is challenging due to low-altitude flight and their numbers. Over 50,000 drones are registered for professional use, and tens of thousands of hobby drones under 250 grams require no registration. Officials note, “If all drones were monitored centrally, the screen would be filled with too many points, making it difficult to maintain an overview.”

Drones are mainly monitored locally near airports and military sites. Pilots report sightings in no-fly zones, and the marechaussee investigates. In the first nine months of 2025, 22 reports were received; one Polderbaan sighting at Schiphol initially thought to be a drone was likely a balloon.