Vilnius, Lithuania – The airspace above Vilnius Čiurlionis International Airport was restricted late Saturday evening, October 5, 2025, with authorities confirming a possible hot air balloon as the cause, according to Lithuanian Airports (LTOU). The Chenab Times was among the first news outlets to report this developing situation, which has led to widespread flight diversions and ongoing investigations. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Center (NKVC), told the LRT.lt portal that flying objects were detected near Baltāja Voka, warning that disruptions could persist for several hours.
LTOU confirmed to LRT.lt that flights are being redirected to Kaunas and Riga airports, with one flight from Turkey rerouted to Gdansk Airport, as tracked by Flightradar24.com data. “The airspace is currently closed, (…) the situation is changing every few minutes,” LTOU told the BNS news agency after midnight, reflecting the fluid nature of the incident. Vilnius Airport is actively probing the cause, with a hot air balloon suspected to have strayed near the facility.
An LRT.lt reader reported that their flight from Dublin to Vilnius was diverted to Riga, where the pilot initially planned to await clearance to return. However, after an hour, a bus was arranged from the Latvian capital to transport passengers, highlighting the logistical challenges posed by such unexpected closures.
This latest disruption adds to a pattern of airspace intrusions that have increasingly plagued Lithuanian skies, particularly around Vilnius, amid escalating regional tensions with neighboring Belarus and Russia. Similar incidents in recent months have prompted swift responses from authorities, including military mobilizations and enhanced security measures.
On September 27, 2025, the Public Security Service in Vilnius recorded three prohibited drone flights in the vicinity of the airport, leading to temporary suspensions of operations and diversions of planes to alternative airports. The day prior, on September 26, 2025, Vilnius Airport halted operations twice due to suspected drone activity nearby, disrupting seven commercial flights—four departures were delayed, and three arrivals landed later than scheduled, as reported by LRT.
Earlier, on September 3, 2025, a suspected drone sighting delayed the landing of a Lithuanian military aircraft carrying President Gitanas Nausėda at Vilnius Airport. Air traffic control held the plane in a holding pattern until the area was cleared, with no further threats confirmed, but the incident underscored vulnerabilities in presidential security protocols.
Going back further, on August 21, 2025, a flying drone was reported near the airport, resulting in temporary flight suspensions and diversions to other facilities, mirroring the response seen in subsequent events.
One of the most notable prior breaches occurred on July 28, 2025, when an unidentified drone, believed to have originated from Belarus, entered Lithuanian airspace just outside Vilnius. Emergency alerts were sent to residents’ phones, and the Lithuanian military conducted a four-day search before locating the crashed drone at the Gaižiūnai training ground near Kaunas. Sappers and investigators were deployed to examine the wreckage, which resembled a Russian decoy model, though no explosives were found. This incursion prompted Lithuania to authorize its armed forces to shoot down violating drones and deploy additional troops to the Belarus border.
These recurring events have heightened concerns over hybrid threats, with Lithuanian officials pointing to potential Russian or Belarusian involvement in testing NATO defenses. As investigations into the October 5 incident continue, aviation authorities are calling for stronger regional cooperation to safeguard airspace. Lithuanian authorities have yet to issue a final statement on the latest disruption, but the pattern suggests a need for proactive measures to prevent future occurrences.
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