Findel operators denied the plane permission to land despite being on the approach to lux-Airport, as work was due to take place on the runway.
The works were meant to begin at 11pm, but had been delayed to midnight in order to allow three earlier Luxair flights to land after experiencing inclement weather on their journeys.
The LG662 flight from Malaga, however, was due to land after midnight following a delayed departure, which in turn led to a diversion to Liège while making its approach to Findel at 11.57pm.
One passenger complained to the Luxemburger Wort newspaper, describing the difficulty in transferring from the Belgian airport back to the Grand Duchy. Although the airline organised two coaches and taxis for the 165 passengers, they did not arrive back in Luxembourg until just after 5am on Friday.
In an official press release, Luxair said that Findel airport’s operating hours run from 6am until 11pm, and the runway had remained open as an exception to allow three delayed flights to land.
The airline added that the Malaga flight’s diversion had therefore been “unavoidable”. Both Luxair and lux-Airport said the ‘denial to land’ was not influenced by the plane arriving a few minutes before midnight, but was instead caused by the flight’s earlier delay while leaving Malaga.
