Flights at Luxembourg’s Findel Airport were temporarily suspended after unauthorised drones were detected around the airport, adding to growing European concern over potential Russian hybrid activity.
The airport said flight operations were halted on September 18 as a precaution after unmanned aircraft systems were detected “around and over the airport”.
An incoming flight from London was diverted to Liège in Belgium during the closure. One passenger told the Luxembourg Times that the pilot said drones were still flying over the airport.
Services resumed in the early hours of September 19, but authorities have yet to establish who operated the drones or why they were flying near the airport.
The incident comes as European governments warn of a widening threat from Russian hybrid operations. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on September 17 that intelligence assessments indicated Russia could stage drone attacks against countries supporting Ukraine. Officials in France, Lithuania and Finland subsequently echoed concerns about Moscow’s activities.
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Germany has also directly accused a Russian intelligence service of attempting to carry out a drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August. Berlin said explosive-laden drones had been found at the airport and appeared to have targeted a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft used to transport military equipment.
The Luxembourg incident is particularly sensitive given the country’s role at the heart of the EU. Luxembourg City hosts the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank, making disruption to critical infrastructure a concern extending beyond aviation.
Luxembourg has provided about €340mn in bilateral aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, according to Statista data.
For European governments, the succession of airport disruptions and alleged attacks is sharpening a question once largely confined to the battlefield: how far Moscow’s confrontation with the west could extend into civilian infrastructure.
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