This week's floods have had a significant impact on Luxembourg Airport as it is slowly but surely running out of fuel. The airport is supplied with fuel via a NATO pipeline and it is precisely this that has been damaged.
It is not yet known exactly where the damage occurred, but it is suspected that a valve was damaged in Echternacherbrück. The kerosene pipeline is a total of 5.000 kilometers and is of particular importance for NATO as it supplies several military facilities.
Luxembourg Airport confirmed that the kerosene supply is only sufficient for this Friday. All airlines and private pilots have been made aware that kerosene will be extremely scarce in the next few days and that refueling may not be possible in Luxembourg. It is recommended that the pilots fill up with enough fuel for the return flight or have the kerosene brought to the airport by the petroleum companies by trucking. According to reports, the tank companies are trying to get the fuel they need for the aircraft by truck, but the same quantities are not available via the pipeline as is usually the case. Luxembourg is an extremely popular place for airlines to fill up their tanks.
It remains to be seen whether the effects of the floods will also be felt at other airports. Zurich, Frankfurt am Main, Brussels and Amsterdam also depend on this pipeline. The repairs that have to be carried out on the German side are reported to take a few days.