Lithuania has extended the closure of part of its airspace along the border with Belarus until December 1, citing security concerns and the need for new legislation to guide military operations, the army said Thursday.
“The restricted flight zone along the border with Belarus has been extended until December 1,” the Lithuanian Armed Forces told BNS. The airspace in question was originally closed on August 12, with an initial plan for restrictions to last until October.
Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said the closure is necessary while post-legislative and operational preparations continue.
“We are doing post-legislative work and practical work to set up certain procedures and algorithms and prepare the entire system so that it can function in practice. Until this work is completed, we will extend the validity of the automatic restricted airspace zones,” she told BNS.
Šakalienė added that the goal is to eventually be able to restrict airspace precisely and for short periods when needed. “We will keep a certain part of our airspace closed until we have all the practical details in place, and then we will be able to close it very precisely and accurately where we need to, when we need to, perhaps for very short periods,” she said.
Last week, Lithuania’s parliament passed amendments allowing the military to shoot down drones that pose a threat to national airspace more quickly and to coordinate with air traffic control to restrict flights in specific areas immediately if necessary.
The legislative changes were prompted by last summer’s events, when two Russian Gerbera drones flew into Lithuania, one carrying explosives, raising concerns over civil aviation safety and prompting the initial closure of the border airspace.
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