Lithuania has suspended air traffic at Vilnius Airport due to balloons possibly flying in its airspace, and flights have been diverted, the airport’s operator said late on Saturday.
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European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings and air incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen and Munich.
“Attention: the airspace over Vilnius Airport is closed,” the airport said in a statement on its website, adding that the closure was expected to last until 2.45am local time.
Travellers should check for updates on the airport’s website and through airline announcements, it said.
“According to our information, the decision was made due to a possible series of balloons heading toward Vilnius Airport. As a result of this incident, flights have been affected,” the airport said on social media.
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Nato member Lithuania in August said it had declared a 90km-long (56-mile-long) no-fly zone parallel to the country’s border with Belarus, in response to drones entering from there, and that this would allow its armed forces to react to violations.