Four flights were affected by a temporary suspension of operations at Vilnius Airport on Tuesday evening, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Centre, said Wednesday.
Airspace restrictions were imposed from 20:30 to 21:45 Tuesday after the balloon-like objects were detected, in line with civil aviation safety procedures.
“Two flights were diverted, one to Kaunas and the other to Riga. A total of 215 passengers were affected. Later, once the airspace was reopened, those aircraft were able to return and land in Vilnius. So the impact was minimal. Two other flights were slightly delayed, affecting 235 passengers,” Vitkauskas told LRT RADIO.
Vitkauskas said the number of suspected smuggling balloons was not high, but their trajectory was highly dangerous.
Air navigation specialists detected three balloon-like objects moving toward the Vilnius airport area, he said.
“The direction was dangerous, from Dieveniskes, from Salcininkai District,” Vitkauskas said.
It was the second temporary closure of the capital’s airport this year.
Similar balloon-like objects were detected Friday. At that time, however, only a warning was issued to pilots and the airport continued operating normally.
In mid-December, the government declared an emergency over smuggling balloons disrupting operations at Vilnius Airport and posing a threat to civil aviation.
Lithuanian politicians have described the balloon incursions as a hybrid attack by Minsk.
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