Belgian airspace reopens after short closure over technical issue

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian airspace reopened on Thursday after a closure lasting a little over an hour due to a technical issue with air traffic controllers' Skeyes computer system, Brussels airport said on social media platform X.

The disruption ended after Skeyes rebooted its system, a Sketes spokesperson told local media.

The closure forced a flight carrying Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to a meeting with European Commission officials in Brussels to turn around and return to Slovakia, a spokesperson for the country's EU representative office said.

A Skeyes spokesperson told local news broadcaster VRT that it became clear at about 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) that the air traffic control system used to manage Belgian airspace was "not functioning properly".

He added that all aircraft operating within the airspace controlled by Skeyes at that time - up to an altitude of approximately 7,500 metres (24,600 feet) - were rerouted to neighbouring countries using a backup system.

Belgium's main airports are in Brussels (Zaventem) and Charleroi, with smaller airports in Antwerp, Liege and Ostend.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by GV De Clercq, David Goodman and Mark Heinrich)

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