Lithuania Reopens Airport After Closure over Suspicious Balloons

Lithuania reopened its main international airport on Sunday after several hours of closure caused by reports of a suspected series of balloons flying toward the facility, the latest in a wave of unusual aerial incidents disrupting European air traffic.

Vilnius Airport announced that air traffic was temporarily suspended at 10:16 p.m. local time (19:16 GMT) on Saturday after receiving official information about the possible presence of balloons heading toward the airport. The source of the objects has not yet been identified. The airspace was reopened at 4:50 a.m. on Sunday.

At least ten flights were affected by the temporary closure, with several aircraft, including those arriving from London, Frankfurt, and Vienna, diverted to Riga, the capital of Latvia. A flight from Copenhagen was forced to return, while another bound for Helsinki was cancelled. The airport also warned that additional delays or cancellations might occur.

The incident follows a series of disruptions at airports across Europe in recent weeks. Airports in Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Poland have all temporarily suspended operations due to unidentified drones.

Meanwhile, Romania and Estonia have accused Russia of being behind these drone incursions, a claim Moscow has strongly denied.

Earlier this week, drone sightings twice forced the temporary closure of Munich Airport within two days, highlighting growing concerns about aerial security and the vulnerability of European airspace.