Vilnius Airport Closed Due To Unknown Flying Object

The situation changes on a minute-by-minute basis.

An unknown flying balloon has been spotted over Vilnius airport. The airport is closed for receiving and dispatching aircraft, and planes are being sent to alternate airfields.

This is reported by LRT.lt.

A flight of an unknown balloon was spotted over the air gate of the Lithuanian capital on Saturday evening, October 4.

The head of the National Crisis Management Center (NKVC), Vilmantas Vitkauskas, said the flying objects were observed near the town of Baltoi-Voke. He noted that disruptions in air traffic could last for several hours.

A spokeswoman for the state-owned Lithuanian Airports Enterprise (LTOU) said that flights were now being diverted to Kaunas and Riga airports.

According to Flightradar24.com, one flight from Turkey was diverted to Gdansk airport. Vilnius airport is now investigating the reasons for the disruption, but it is believed that a balloon may have flown near the airport.

"The airspace is now closed, (...) the situation is changing minute by minute," LTOU said.

A reader of the LRT.lt portal said that his flight from Dublin to Vilnius was diverted to Riga. After landing in Latvia, the pilot announced that the plane would try to return to Vilnius as soon as permission was granted.

After 1 a.m., however, the reader reported that a bus from the Latvian capital had been organized for the flight's passengers.

According to Flightradar24, Vilnius airport was closed at 01:30 Minsk time. Eight flights bound for the Lithuanian capital have been diverted over the past few hours.

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