Multiple pilots flying into Brussels Airport were targeted by lasers on the evening of 14 August, amid speculation that the activity could have stemmed from local discontent over flight paths.
Aiming lasers at aircraft is against the law in Belgium and across Europe. Considered a serious criminal offence that endangers air traffic, it is punishable by imprisonment and hefty fines. Just as bright headlights can dazzle a car driver at night, lasers can distract and disorient aircraft pilots.
The European air traffic control body Skeyes told Het Laatste Nieuws that the pilots “all had a laser pointed at their faces between 20:45 and 02:45.” The lasers reportedly came from the district of Dilbeek, in Flemish Brabant, just west of the Belgian capital Brussels.
The Dilbeek area is at the centre of an ongoing row between local residents and the Belgian state over noise pollution due to the increased use of the so-called RNP 07L flight path, an advanced satellite-based approach on which 96% of flights (and 100% at night) have been shown by research to violate Brussels’ noise standards. It is unknown whether the noise controversy was linked in any way to the laser incidents.
Shining a laser at an aircraft can blind a flight crew and is a crime. It happened Sat morning as an MNPD helicopter was assisting on a fleeing vehicle call. The beam came from Castlewood Condos on Harold Dr. Ground units found the suspect & recovered the laser… pic.twitter.com/qI6dP5mzCh
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) August 17, 2026
Police immediately conducted a search for the offenders, DPG Media said, but police commissioner Koen Luppens did not hold out much hope of identifying or arresting those at fault. “Without the exact location, it’s a hopeless task. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he said.
Laser incidents rose 80% in 2025
Laser attacks on aircraft are far from a new phenomenon. The number of incidents had been falling in the decade to 2025, when there was a sharp rise, with 169 reports of lasers used against planes in Belgian airspace, representing a steep increase of 80% over the previous year and making lasers the third most common aviation safety event after bird strikes and unauthorised use of airspace.
Despite the surprisingly high number of laser incidents in 2025, authorities say that five incidents in one night are unusual. Officers continue to investigate the evening’s incidents, while monitoring is expected to continue in the coming weeks and months.
Solar panels caused similar dazzling problem
Unintentional dazzling can be a problem for plane crew too, as shown in 2025, when pilots approaching Amsterdam Schiphol found they were being blinded by reflections from a solar panel installation in the Green Energy Corridor. A plan was put in place to remove the offending panels and cover them with a non-reflective film, to allow both the Dutch airport and the Belgian-owned solar facility to operate safely.
