Saulius Batavičius, head of Oro Navigacija, told LRT Radio on Monday that around 60 balloons had been released on Sunday, with about 40 entering zones critical to aircraft operations.
Batavičius said the balloons appeared to be launched at calculated intervals to keep them hovering in sensitive areas and prevent air traffic from resuming. Several of them “practically blocked the way to Vilnius Airport,” he said, calling the incident “a systematic attack on civil aviation.”
Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) said the airspace restrictions were lifted at 5:00 a.m. on 1 December and that regular operations had resumed. More than 7,400 passengers and 50 flights were affected, including 31 cancellations, 10 diversions and nine delays.
LTOU warned that some knock-on delays could occur on Monday due to disrupted crew and aircraft rotations. Passengers whose travel plans were impacted were urged to contact their airlines for further information.