Vilnius Airport temporarily suspended operations due to a suspicious balloon
Kyiv • UNN
On November 20, Vilnius Airport temporarily restricted its airspace due to a suspected balloon flyover, causing delays for over 1,100 passengers and about ten flights. The airport fully resumed operations around 7:55 PM local time.
On the evening of November 20, Vilnius Airport temporarily restricted its airspace due to suspicion of a balloon flight. This was reported by UNN with reference to the airport's press service on Facebook.
Details
The restriction was introduced at approximately 6:38 PM local time after the detection of navigation data that could indicate the movement of a balloon.
According to preliminary information, the decision to introduce the airspace restriction was made due to navigation traces characteristic of balloons moving towards Vilnius Airport.
It is noted that around 7:55 PM, the airport's operations were fully restored.
Due to the incident, more than 1,100 passengers and about ten flights experienced delays: four were canceled, and six more had their arrival or departure times changed.
The airport's press service urged passengers to monitor updates on the official airport website and contact their airlines in case of schedule changes.
Balloon incidents from Belarus
Late on Saturday evening, October 4, the airspace over Vilnius International Airport was restricted, likely due to spotted balloons. The airport was closed for receiving and dispatching aircraft, and planes were diverted to alternate airfields.
On the evening of October 30, Lithuanian authorities temporarily closed the airspace over Vilnius after balloons flying from Belarus were detected in the direction of the capital's airport. This was already the sixth incident in October when flights over the Lithuanian capital had to be stopped due to such incidents.
On Saturday, November 8, air traffic at Vilnius Airport was temporarily suspended due to a threat related to a weather balloon.