On the evening of November 30, due to the appearance of balloons that drifted from Belarus into Lithuanian territory, the airspace above Vilnius Airport was closed, according to public broadcaster LRT.
According to the airport, the restrictions initially ran from 18:09 to 21:00, after which they were extended to 23:00 local time (the time is the same as Kyiv).
“According to preliminary data, the decision to restrict airspace was guided by navigational markers typical of balloons moving toward Vilnius Airport”
– The airport’s statement
Timeline of events
Throughout November, Vilnius Airport repeatedly suspended operations due to a threat related to contraband balloons from Belarus. The most recent shutdown occurred on November 20, affecting more than 1,100 passengers and 10 flights.
At the same time, Lithuanian border guards said that after that day Lithuania restored the operation of border checkpoints on the border with Belarus, which had previously been closed at the end of October due to a series of incidents involving contraband aerostats, dangerous to civil aviation.
In October, Lukashenko signed a decree banning the movement of cargo vehicles, tractors and trailers registered in Poland and Lithuania, as well as passenger cars registered in Poland. Most of these vehicles were not allowed to leave the country, but were sent under guard to parking areas near the border.