He stated that Luxembourg is cooperating with NATO allies over this incident, who are increasingly warning about potential hybrid attacks from the Russian threat.
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He said that the presence of “potentially larger drones” in the country’s airspace had been observed “in the past few days,” but it is still too early to say where they came from.
“We are currently analyzing the situation,” the prime minister said at a televised press conference.
Luxembourg airport operations were briefly suspended on the night leading into Saturday when drones were detected flying near and over the airport without permission.
The airport reported that this step was a “precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers, airline crews, airport staff, and aircraft.”
National airline Luxair stated that more than 1,800 passengers were affected by the suspension, and 17 arriving flights were diverted to other airports, such as Brussels, Paris, and Frankfurt.
“Luxair is working closely with Luxembourg airport, relevant authorities, and its operational partners to assist affected passengers and restore the flight schedule,” the airline said in a statement.
Operations resumed on Saturday, but further disruptions and a chain reaction are expected, it added.
“This is new for Luxembourg, but it is not entirely new for our neighboring countries,” L. Frieden said about the observed drones after an extraordinary meeting with Luxembourg’s defense and interior ministers.
Since 2022, when Moscow launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv’s allies in Europe have been sounding the alarm about “hybrid attacks” related to Russia.
These attacks do not reach the threshold of open war but include drone flights near sensitive sites, airspace violations, and cyberattacks.
Drone incursions have mostly affected NATO states on the eastern flank. However, last year, unauthorized drones were also observed flying over sensitive locations in Belgium and Denmark.
This year, a drone loaded with explosives was detected at a German airport; Berlin blamed Moscow for this incident.
“We will ensure that together with our partners we can maintain the safety of our citizens,” L. Frieden said.
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