Lithuania closes Vilnius airport, NATO summons jets in response to possible drone
- On Sunday, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre closed Vilnius Airport and issued a yellow air alert after a possible drone sighting in the country's airspace. Authorities urged residents to locate nearby shelters and call 112 if they spotted suspicious objects.
- NATO summoned an Italian fighter jet from Siauliai to investigate the radar contact, demonstrating integrated air defense capabilities. Countries along NATO's eastern flank frequently report drone incursions linked to Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- After the NATO jet made a visual identification, officials confirmed the suspected drone was actually a flock of birds. The centre lifted the air alert and reopened the airport within 38 minutes, the National Crisis Management Centre said.
- Authorities advised residents to monitor LT72 for shelter locations and call 112 if suspicious objects were spotted. Despite the regional alert covering Vilnius, Trakai, and Elektr, the Vilnius marathon continued without interruption, organizers told Reuters.
- The incident illustrates persistent security challenges facing Baltic nations managing threats to civil aviation. Occurring the same day, a Russian drone strike hit a passenger train in Ukraine's Volyn region approximately two kilometers from the Polish border.
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The Independent
The Independent (US)Nato jet scrambled to Lithuania ‘drone sighting’ turns out to be flock of birds
The sighting prompted the closure of Vilinus airport but the alert was lifted after 38 minutes
The airport reopened after about an hour, according to the crisis management center.
Lithuania Sounds Air Alert Over Suspected Drone Threat Near Vilnius
Lithuania issued an air alert over a possible drone threat near Vilnius on September 13, temporarily suspending flights at the country’s main international airport as authorities investigated the suspected aerial object.
Lithuania closed Vilnius airport on Sunday and NATO mobilised at least one fighter aircraft in response to a possible observation of a drone in Lithuania's airspace, the National Crisis Management Centre in the country said.
Eesti Rahvusringhääling
pmo.eeVilnius Airport temporarily suspended operations on Sunday due to a possible drone in Lithuanian airspace, the airport's press service announced.
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