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2h ago

Vilnius Reopens After Balloon Alert as Berlin Urges Calm on Drone Incidents

Officials are weighing broader shoot‑down powers, with attribution still unproven.

Une vue de la rue Gediminas à Vilnius, Lituanie, le 19 mai 2018.
Image
Un avion sur le tarmac de l'aéroport de Vilnius, en Lituanie, le 23 mai 2021.
L’aéroport de Munich serait à l’arrêt.

Overview

  • Munich Airport halted operations for a second consecutive night on Friday after reported drone sightings, with police noting two simultaneous identifications near both runways and roughly 6,500 passengers affected before flights resumed Saturday.
  • German defense minister Boris Pistorius said the drones observed so far have not posed a concrete threat, called for stronger local policing and infrastructure powers, and backed a legal review to let the military down drones currently only police can neutralize in grave cases.
  • Vilnius Airport closed overnight on a warning about possible balloons approaching and reopened at 04:50 local time, diverting several arrivals to Kaunas, Latvia, and Poland and canceling a flight to Helsinki.
  • Prague’s Václav Havel Airport deployed anti‑drone measures and military and police snipers after an anonymous, unverified report, describing the step as preventive while commercial flights continued.
  • European hubs in Denmark, Norway, and Poland have also enacted brief suspensions in recent weeks, EU states have voiced suspicions of Russian involvement that Moscow denies, and partners are advancing counter‑drone initiatives including an EU ‘wall’ concept and a new German center.