Airspace Alert: Vilnius Airport Faces Balloon Intrusion

Lithuania halted air traffic at Vilnius Airport due to suspected balloons in the airspace. Flights were redirected to Latvia and Poland while departures were cancelled. The disruption comes amid recent airspace security concerns in Europe, with issues at airports in Copenhagen and Munich.

Lithuania has temporarily suspended air traffic at Vilnius Airport after identifying balloons potentially flying within its airspace. This incident led to numerous flights being redirected to neighboring Latvia and Poland. As the airport operator announced late Saturday, the closure was scheduled to last until early Sunday morning.

Passengers are urged to stay informed via the airport's website and through airline updates. The airport highlighted on social media that flights were affected due to balloons heading towards Vilnius. Particularly, flights from Copenhagen returned to Denmark amidst the disruptions.

This event follows Lithuania's prior declaration of a no-fly zone near its Belarus border due to drone incursions, reflecting ongoing regional security challenges. Lithuania remains a staunch ally of Ukraine, sharing significant border proximity with Belarus, a known associate of Russia.

(With inputs from agencies.)