Air traffic at Vilnius Airport was temporarily suspended early on Wednesday after a drone was spotted near the Lithuanian capital.
This was reported by LRT with reference to the authorities, writes UNN.
Details
Around midnight, air navigation specialists reported a drone flying in the city, at a distance from the airport, according to airport spokesman Tadas Vasiliauskas.
Airport services responded by increasing patrols and surveillance in the area. Air traffic was stopped for approximately 30 minutes and fully resumed by 00:35, Vasiliauskas said.
Due to the disruption, a flight departing for Tel Aviv was delayed, and several arriving aircraft circled in the holding area before landing, leading to delays of approximately 15-20 minutes.
Later on Wednesday, officials reported that the drone that led to the brief suspension of flights at Vilnius Airport belongs to a private security company.
Saulius Batavičius, CEO of the state-owned air navigation service provider Oro Navigacija, said the drone was spotted around midnight in Vilnius' Liepkalnis district.
Flight safety protocols were activated – flights were temporarily suspended, and as soon as it was confirmed there was no threat, traffic resumed in about 30 minutes.
The drone flew from Lithuanian territory and was operated by the private security firm Ekskomisarų Biuras as part of a site inspection, Batavičius said.
He emphasized that the security measures worked properly and that flights were never in real danger.
Addition
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At Madrid's Barajas Airport, an Iberia plane made an emergency landing after colliding with a vulture. The bird hit the plane and was then sucked into the left engine.