Key facts
- Luxembourg Airport temporarily suspended flight operations on Sept. 18 due to suspected drone activity.
- An incoming flight from London was diverted to Liege, Belgium.
- Flight services resumed early on Sept. 19.
- Prime Minister Luc Frieden stated that potentially larger drones were observed in Luxembourg's airspace.
- An investigation into the drone sightings has been launched.
- Luxembourg has deployed additional detection assets to enhance airspace monitoring.
Luxembourg Airport resumed flight operations early Tuesday after a temporary suspension caused by suspected drone activity in the airspace. The government announced on Sunday that additional detection assets have been deployed to bolster airspace monitoring.
Flight operations at Luxembourg's Findel Airport were halted on Friday evening, September 18, as a precautionary safety measure after unauthorized unmanned aircraft systems were detected around and over the airport. An incoming flight from London was diverted to Liege, Belgium, due to the closure. The pilot of the diverted flight informed passengers that drones were still flying over the airport.
Prime Minister Luc Frieden described the situation as "something new," noting the presence of "potentially bigger drones in the Luxembourg airspace" in the days preceding the incident. Authorities have initiated an investigation into the sightings, though police reported receiving multiple reports on Saturday evening that did not necessitate operational intervention.
The incident occurs amid heightened concerns over hybrid warfare threats from Russia. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on September 17 that intelligence suggested Russia might stage drone attacks against nations supporting Ukraine. Similar warnings were echoed by French, Lithuanian, and Finnish officials. Earlier in August, the German government directly accused a Russian intelligence service of attempting a drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, targeting a Ukrainian cargo plane.