Vilnius airport briefly closed after suspected drone alert from Belarus

Vilnius airport was closed for less than an hour on the morning of 3 October after Lithuanian authorities reported an unidentified aerial object, possibly a drone, approaching from the direction of Belarus. NATO Baltic Air Policing fighters were scrambled to investigate, and an air alert was issued for the capital region.

Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said the controlled airspace around the airport was temporarily shut while the object was assessed. Flights resumed after the alert was lifted. The authorities had not publicly established that the object was a drone, identified its operator or confirmed a hostile incursion at the time of the initial reports.

A yellow-level air warning was issued around 09:48 local time for the Vilnius area. Residents were advised to remain alert and familiarise themselves with shelter locations. The warning ended at 10:34, when Lithuania’s armed forces said there was no longer an immediate air threat.

Heightened alert on NATO’s eastern flank

The reported approach from Belarus drew particular attention because Lithuania borders both that country and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. Belarus is a close military ally of Moscow. NATO’s air policing mission maintains fighters to respond to potential airspace threats over the Baltic states.

The incident was separate from a 13 September alert at the same airport, when another suspected drone sighting prompted a brief closure and a NATO response but was ultimately identified as a flock of birds. That earlier false alarm illustrates why the nature of the object in the 3 October case cannot be presumed before an investigation is complete.

Lithuania has also faced disruptions linked to objects crossing from Belarus, including balloons. Its government has described some incidents as part of wider hybrid pressure. That broader concern does not establish who, if anyone, was responsible for the object reported on Saturday.

After the warning ended, Vilnius airport returned to normal operations while the relevant authorities continued to determine what had triggered the alert. The photograph accompanying this article shows the airport terminal in June 2026 and is an archive image, not a picture of the suspected object.