Steinhaus told RTL that Luxembourgish would continue to be used around Findel airport, and that he did not feel it would have a diminished presence. He said the airport's role was to help passengers with their departures and arrivals both safely and without stress, and that making announcements in numerous languages could lead to continuous sound around the building.
Luxembourgish has always been spoken at Findel and this is not set to change in the future, underlined Steinhaus. The only difference would be noted for automated announcements. Passengers will continue to be greeted and accommodated by Luxembourgish-speaking staff.
The recent news that LuxAirport's new automated system would only make announcements in French and English caused much uproar around the Luxembourgish community. The association for the protection of the language, Aktioun Lëtzebuergesch, issued a statement earlier this week deploring the decision, which would "put an end to a decades-old tradition".
Steinhaus countered the criticism in conversation with RTL Radio, pointing out that passengers from over 160 different countries use the airport, and that Findel should be able to adapt to its international community. He underlined that it was merely an automated system undergoing the changes, and that announcements made by staff would naturally be made in Luxembourgish, as has always been the case.
LuxAirport's new electronic automated systems were installed earlier this year. In a parliamentary response to ADR MP Fred Keup, Ministers Bausch and Asselborn confirmed that it would have been too costly to add a personalised Luxembourgish version of the announcements, which will henceforth be available in French and English.
