The aircraft was spotted circling over Florenville in Belgium, leaving behind large trails of what turned out to be fuel. The plane is said to have encountered a technical problem when taking off from Findel airport, forcing the pilot to dump the fuel before turning back.
According to Le Quotidien, the crew jettisoned the fuel in order to avoid an overloaded landing at Luxembourg airport, in an emergency procedure required to avoid accidents due to the weight of the device. If an aircraft is too heavy when it comes to landing, it risks breaking up and causing enormous damage.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, this type of procedure does not represent a health risk. Nearly 90% of the jettisoned fuel will evaporate even before coming into contact with the ground.
Cargolux has since confirmed that the aircraft had landed safely, been repaired and returned to service.
