Two detained after drone incursion halts flights at Vilnius Airport

Lithuanian authorities detained two people on Sunday after drones were flown near Vilnius Airport, with one device entering restricted airspace and forcing a brief suspension of flights.

Airport operations were halted for about 20 minutes until one of the operators was caught, Public Security Service (VST) chief Viktoras Grabauskas said on Monday. The VST is responsible for protecting the airport and monitoring the surrounding airspace.

“We now have better capabilities to track drones near the airport, so we detect more of them,” Grabauskas said. “There are clearly defined zones where drones are prohibited. People must act responsibly — drones pose a real threat to aviation.”

Both detained individuals are Lithuanian citizens. Grabauskas noted that while most violations stem from ignorance, there have been cases of deliberate incursions at other strategic sites. The VST also has the ability to neutralise low-flying, slow-moving objects if needed.

Under Lithuanian law, violating aircraft operation rules carries a fine of €400 to €800.

Drone disruption follows balloon threat from Belarus

The incident came just a day after Vilnius Airport suspended operations for about 90 minutes due to weather balloons launched by cigarette smugglers from Belarus. The disruption affected nine flights and around 1,000 passengers.

Saulius Batavi?ius, head of air traffic provider Oro Navigacija, said 108 balloon-like objects were detected on radar between Friday and Monday. Thanks to improved detection algorithms and closer coordination with the military, restrictions were shorter than during previous episodes.

Weather balloons released from Belarus have disrupted flights at Vilnius more than a dozen times in recent months and have also affected Kaunas Airport. Lithuanian officials describe the activity as part of a “hybrid attack” by the Belarusian regime.

The government is expected to declare a state-level emergency this week.

Source: LRT