Luxembourg launches probe after drones suspend flight operations

LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg's government said on Saturday an investigation is ongoing after Luxembourg Airport temporarily suspended ⁠services the previous evening following the detection of drones.
The ⁠government said in a statement that flight operations had been temporarily suspended 'following the visual sighting of unidentified and unauthorised drones within ‌the airspace over Findel'.
A total of ​19 flights ⁠were diverted to other airports, it said, ​with airport operations resuming ‌at approximately 1:20 am local time.
Prime Minister Luc Frieden ​told reporters on Saturday that his country had been 'confronted with something new for Luxembourg, the presence of potentially bigger drones in the Luxembourg airspace'.
'We have observed this over the past ‌few days, which led to the precautionary measure last ​night,' he said.
Luxembourg's Interministerial Drone Assessment Unit had convened ​to assess ⁠the situation, and Frieden had held a meeting with a group of ministers and relevant authorities, the government ​said.
The government statement said that 'at this ⁠stage, the information ​available does not allow for definitive conclusions to be drawn'.
'The competent authorities are continuing to analyse all information collected and to carry out the necessary checks ​in close cooperation with their international partners.'
Flag-carrier Luxair said more than 1,800 passengers were affected by the suspension, which caused the diversion of 17 inbound flights to other airports such as Brussels, Paris and Frankfurt. 'Luxair is working closely with lux-Airport, the relevant authorities and its operational partners to assist affected passengers and restore its flight schedule,' the airline said.
Operations resumed on Saturday but further disruption and knock-on effects were expected, it added.
'This is new for Luxembourg but it's not completely new for our neighbouring countries,' Frieden said of the drone sightings, after an emergency meeting with Luxembourg defence and interior ministers.
Since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv's European allies have raised the alarm about 'hybrid attacks' linked to Russia.
The attacks have fallen below the threshold of open warfare, but have included drone flights near sensitive sites, airspace violations, and cyberattacks.
Drone incursions have mostly affected states across Nato's eastern flank. But unauthorised unmanned aircrafts were also spotted flying over sensitive locations across Belgium, and Denmark last year.
And this year an explosive-laden drone was discovered at a German airport in an incident Berlin blamed on Moscow.
'We will make sure that together with our partners we can keep our populations safe,' Frieden said. — AFP