Vilnius airport closed. Balloons from Belarus on the radar
Vilnius airport was temporarily closed on Thursday after balloons arriving from Belarus were detected. The decision was made immediately. The disruptions affected several flights.
Vilnius airport was temporarily closed on Thursday evening after a balloon or balloons arriving from Belarus were detected on radar. Takeoffs and landings were suspended, and the services began monitoring the situation in the airspace. The Lithuanian Crisis Management Center reported that the objects could have belonged to cigarette smugglers.
The decision to close the airport was made after 18. According to flightradar24, a flight from Istanbul was diverted to Riga after turning around near Kaunas. The difficulties affected a total of three or four cruises. The airport’s official statement indicated that over 1,100 passengers were affected.
The director of the security department of Lithuanian Airports announced that restrictions were introduced for three hours. – Temporary restrictions have been introduced due to the potential threat from balloons. The initial period entered is three hours. The situation may change and it is possible that the airspace will be opened a little earlier, he said in an interview with LRT.
The space above Vilnius is closed. This is another such case
Thursday’s airport closure is another similar event in recent weeks. In October, balloons arriving from Belarus caused disruptions in the operation of airports in Vilnius and Kaunas. At that time, over 140 flights were canceled and disruptions affected over 20,000 people. passengers.
After the October incidents, the Lithuanian authorities decided to close the border crossings with Belarus. On Thursday, traffic at the border was partially restored, but Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene announced the possibility of re-introducing restrictions if the threat increases.
The Lithuanian authorities assess this type of activity as a form of hybrid attack. The authorities indicate that airspace violations are also analyzed from the point of view of state security. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized last month that further sanctions against Belarus are possible if incidents continue.
