Overview
- Operations were suspended at 18:09 local time on Nov. 30 and the airspace restrictions were later extended until 5 a.m. on Dec. 1, the airport said.
- Initial information cited radar and navigation signatures consistent with balloons moving toward the airport as the trigger for the shutdown.
- Inbound flights were diverted or turned back, including a Ryanair service from Oslo to Kaunas, a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Riga, and a Finnair flight returning to Helsinki.
- Authorities say Vilnius Airport has faced at least 10 temporary closures since early October due to similar incidents.
- Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys urged the EU to add hybrid activities and threats to its sanctions criteria targeting Belarus, which has denied responsibility.