Vilnius airport closed again due to unidentified drone
Photo: Vilnius airport closed again due to unknown drone (Getty Images)
Vilnius Airport was closed again for several hours after an unknown drone was spotted on its territory, LRТ reports.
Restrictions on airspace for aircraft and other airborne vehicles above the airport were imposed at approximately 9:50 a.m.
"According to preliminary data, the decision to impose restrictions was made due to a drone spotted on the territory of Vilnius Airport," says Tadas Vasiliauskas, a representative of Lithuanian Airports.
He says the airspace reopened at around 10:18 a.m. and all operations at the airport are now running as normal. He also noted that the impact on flights was minimal.
"This situation could have affected only two flights," Vasiliauskas adds.
According to Public Security Service representative Ingrida Stragenė, the drone was spotted near Vilnius Airport.
"It was a civilian drone. It stayed in the air, taking off and landing, for less than a minute," Stragenė says.
She also notes that the service's employees immediately stepped up security at Vilnius Airport and its surroundings. However, the drone and its operator have not yet been found.
Background
At the end of October, balloons carrying contraband were spotted several times in Lithuania, flying in from Belarus. Unknown drones were also spotted over local airports.
Due to these incidents, Lithuanian airports temporarily suspended operations four times, with dozens of flights delayed or redirected, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers.
The European Union is ready to impose new sanctions against Belarus if Minsk does not stop provocations on the territory of member states. This refers, in particular, to incidents involving balloons detected in Lithuania.
