ROBBRIEF
Government still has not identified the drones, their operators, or a motive as the closure joins a recent string of European airport disruptions.
Luxembourg Airport closed its airspace for several hours overnight on September 18 after unidentified drones were reported near and over the airfield, diverting 19 incoming flights before operations resumed around 1:20 a.m. on September 19, according to the airport operator.
The closure adds Luxembourg's Findel, a passenger hub and home base of cargo carrier Cargolux, to a recent string of European airports shut by reported drone activity, following Copenhagen, Oslo, Munich, Brussels, and Liège.
Luxembourg's interministerial drone assessment group, convened by Prime Minister Luc Frieden with Defense and Mobility Minister Yuriko Backes and Interior Minister Léon Gloden, remains active as of September 21. The government has not identified the drones, their operators, point of origin, or motive, and is reviewing collected information with foreign partners.
Additional detection equipment supplied by foreign partners was deployed on September 20. Police investigating several later reports of suspected drones found many were navigation lights from crewed aircraft, RTL Today reported.
Two airfield inspections found no immediate risk to aviation safety, the airport said. What remains unknown is who flew the drones, from where, and why.