Lithuanian Airport Reopens After Suspected Balloon Incident Forces Closure

Vilnius Airport, Lithuania’s main aviation hub, reopened on Sunday following an hours-long closure prompted by a suspected “series of balloons,” marking the latest incident to disrupt flights in European cities.

Several airports across Germany, Denmark, Norway and Poland have recently suspended operations due to unidentified drones, while authorities in Romania and Estonia have blamed Russia, which has denied any involvement.

Vilnius Airport reported receiving official notification at 10:16 pm (19:16 GMT) on Saturday that:

“Air traffic is being temporarily suspended. According to our information, the decision was made due to a possible series of balloons heading toward Vilnius Airport.”

The statement did not specify the origin of the alleged balloons.

Later, the airport confirmed that its airspace reopened at 4:50 am, ending the temporary suspension.

The closure affected at least 10 flights, with several rerouted to Riga, Latvia, including services from:

• London
• Frankfurt
• Vienna

Additionally:

• A flight from Copenhagen was forced to turn back.
• A scheduled departure to Helsinki was cancelled.

“Other departures may also be delayed or cancelled,” the airport warned passengers.

The incident follows a week of drone sightings in Europe, including Munich Airport, which was forced to shut down twice in two days.

Flights from Munich gradually resumed on Saturday after disruptions affected more than 6,500 passengers, according to airport authorities.

This series of events highlights the growing concern over aerial threats to commercial aviation across the continent, whether from drones or other unidentified flying objects.