Lithuania suspends air traffic at Vilnius Airport over hot air balloons, flights diverted | World News - The Indian Express skip to contentAdvertisementPassengers were urged by the airport operator to check for updates on the airport's website and through airline announcements.By: Express Web Desk October 5, 2025 05:53 AM IST First published on: Oct 5, 2025 at 05:51 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookDanish police patrol at Copenhagen Airport, Denmark. (AP/ Representational photo)Another European country, Lithuania, suspended its air traffic late on Saturday after hot air balloons were reportedly flying in its airspace, which led to flights being diverted to neighbouring countries, the airport’s operator said on Saturday, Reuters reported.This comes after European aviation has been facing an imminent shutdown of its air traffic in the recent weeks due to drone sightings and air space violations in Poland, Romania, Germany among others.In a statement on its website, Lithuania’s airport said “Attention: The airspace over Vilnius Airport is closed,” and added that the closure is expected to last until 2:30am (local time) on Sunday. Passengers were urged by the airport operator to check for updates on the airport’s website and through airline announcements.Flights to Vilnius have been diverted for the past few hours, with 8 diversions so far. https://t.co/zlI0Ddq0TULithuanian broadcaster LRT reporting possibly due to a hot air balloon near the airport. https://t.co/pxWYnycgHr pic.twitter.com/N3ZN2sxvtL— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 4, 2025In a post on social media, the airport informed, “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 flight departures at the Vilnius Airport were cancelled and most of the incoming flights were diverted to nearby Latvia and Poland, the operator said. A flight that was coming from Copenhagen was returned to Denmark, Reuters reported.VIDEO: Apparent ‘BALLOON’ that forced Vilnius Airport closure in Lithuania https://t.co/FsR0VdSCcq pic.twitter.com/AvdR9qE112— RT (@RT_com) October 4, 2025Poland, a NATO member, had announced in August that a 90 kilometers long no fly zone will be observed parallel to the country’s border with Belarus after reports confirmed that drones were incursion into its airspace from there, and it would also allow Poland’s armed forces to respond to any airspace violations.Air traffic tracker Flightradar24 also posted about Lithuania’s Vilnius Airport situation and wrote in a post on X, “Flights to Vilnius have been diverted for the past few hours, with 8 diversions so far. Lithuanian broadcaster LRT reporting, possibly due to a hot air balloon near the airport.”(with input from Reuters)AdvertisementTop story1Gaza Peace Plan Live Updates: After Hamas accepts some parts of deal, Trump warns ‘move quickly, or all bets are off’2Israeli airstrikes claim more lives in Gaza hours after Trump tells Israel to ‘immediately’ stop bombing3Trump orders Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas partially accepts his peace plan4US woman pleads ‘how much can I give you to stop?’ during NYC apartment rape, suspect arrested5Putin says Russia will import more agri, med products to offset India’s ‘losses’, calls Modi his ‘wise friend’AdvertisementLoading Taboola...SubscribeSign InJournalism of CourageTop CategoriesLATEST STORIESLithuania suspends air traffic at Vilnius Airport over hot air balloons, flights divertedDelhi: Youth’s bike collides with fire tender on way to rescue drowning man, both dieDPCC tightens watch: Daily inspection of pollution hotspots, separate SOP for polluting industriesWhy dementia care is as much about the patient as about the caregiverDelhi: Body of missing toddler found, murder suspectedFrom political activity to crime scene: What ‘White House’ on Jantar Mantar Road has witnessed over the decadesDay after man kills his children and dies by suicide in Faridabad, case goes to Crime BranchWoman shot by US Border Patrol agents in Chicago as protesters confront immigration personnelDelhi: Man arrested for abusing Hindu deities, police in videoRight-wing group disrupts Miss Rishikesh pageant rehearsal: ‘Against Uttarakhand’s culture’World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi: After dogs bite Kenya, Japan coaches, MCD ramps up its efforts to catch strays around JLN StadiumPoll panel Deputy Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti to reach West Bengal on Oct 7JNU forms grievance redressal cell to oversee student polls, elections likely in NovemberBandmate alleges Zubeen was poisoned by manager, organiser‘Limbs tied’ & left to die: Jeweller murdered in broad daylight in KolkataKolkata again tops NCRB 2023 safety list: TMC lauds data, BJP raises questions over its accuracy