Lithuanian authorities detained two people on Sunday for flying drones near Vilnius Airport after one unmanned aircraft entered restricted airspace, briefly forcing a suspension of flights, officials said Monday.
Public Security Service (VST) chief Viktoras Grabauskas said airport operations were halted for about 20 minutes until one of the drone operators was detained. Vilnius Airport is among the strategic sites protected by the VST, which also monitors surrounding airspace.
“We now have better capabilities to track drones near the airport, so we detect more of them,” Grabauskas told reporters. “There are zones where flying drones is prohibited. Those zones are clearly defined. This applies not only to the airport but also to other strategic facilities. People should be responsible, because drones also pose a threat to aviation.”
Lithuanian law provides fines of €400 to €800 for violations of aircraft operation rules.
Grabauskas said both detained individuals were Lithuanian citizens. While most such cases stem from ignorance rather than malicious intent, deliberate violations have been recorded at other strategic sites, he said. The VST also has the capability to shoot down low-flying, slow-moving objects.
Drone incidents follow balloon threat from Belarus
Sunday’s drone incidents came just a day after Vilnius Airport suspended operations for about 90 minutes due to weather balloons launched by cigarette smugglers from Belarus. The disruptions affected nine flights and roughly 1,000 passengers.
Saulius Batavičius, head of air navigation provider Oro Navigacija, said 108 balloon-like objects were detected on radar between Friday and Monday. Despite the high number of detections, restrictions were shorter than in previous cases thanks to improved algorithms, close coordination with the military, and good visibility, he said.
Weather balloons launched from Belarus have disrupted Vilnius Airport operations more than a dozen times in recent months and once at Kaunas Airport. Lithuanian officials describe them as a “hybrid attack” by the Belarusian government.
The Lithuanian government is expected to declare a state-level emergency situation this week.
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