Luxembourg: Luxembourg Airport resumed flight operations early Saturday after it was temporarily closed following sightings of unauthorized drones, with Prime Minister Luc Frieden saying authorities were taking the incidents 'very seriously' but had no information on their origin, according to Luxembourg-based business publication Paperjam.
According to Anadolu Agency, Frieden stated that although there was no immediate cause for panic, it was crucial to address the situation with seriousness. The sightings of large drones over Luxembourg in recent days, particularly their presence near the airport from Friday night to Saturday, led to a temporary suspension of operations as a precautionary safety measure.
Despite efforts, no drones have been intercepted or neutralized, and authorities have not recovered any of the aircraft. Interior Minister Leon Gloden reported that police tried to detect the drones using available resources after receiving public reports.
Authorities have yet to specify the number, model, or flight paths of the drones, nor have they determined whether the drones were armed. Gloden emphasized that all claims regarding the drones' capabilities remain speculative at this stage.
Frieden further noted that it was premature to attribute the drone activity to any state actors, including Russia, labeling such conclusions as speculative. The government has been in communication with neighboring countries, allies, and NATO regarding the incidents.
Luxembourg's High Commission for National Protection is overseeing the coordinated efforts of police, armed forces, aviation authorities, and other agencies. An assessment unit dedicated to drones has convened several times this week to address the situation.
Mobility Minister Yuriko Backes highlighted the need for Luxembourg to enhance its drone-detection capabilities and safeguard public infrastructure, specifically the control tower at Findel Airport. While she acknowledged the possibility that the drone activity might aim to disrupt air traffic and cause public concern, she refrained from confirming this theory.
Luxair CEO Gilles Feith shared that air traffic control notified the airline about the drone activity around 10:10 pm Friday, affecting 17 of its aircraft that were airborne. The aircraft were diverted to various airports, including Cologne, Brussels, Frankfurt, Liege, Paris, Basel, and Strasbourg.
Luxair managed to return 11 aircraft after about an hour, while six remained at diversion airports. By Saturday morning, two had returned to Luxembourg, a third was en route, and the remaining three were expected to return by midday, Feith informed RTL.
The 17 aircraft referred to Luxair flights, while RTL reported a total of 19 diverted flights. One Ryanair flight managed to depart late Friday night, whereas EasyJet canceled its departure, according to the report.
Backes confirmed that air traffic at Findel had normalized by Saturday morning, though the overnight diversions continued to affect Luxair's schedule. Flightradar24 noted that operations at Luxembourg Airport were suspended due to unmanned aircraft system (UAS) activity, halting all arrivals and departures.
The flight-tracking platform, citing an airport notice, revealed that the suspension began at 2049GMT and was initially estimated to last until 2200GMT. Luxembourg authorities had not commented on the incident when the initial suspension commenced.