Vilnius Airport. Photo: Karolis Kavolelis / Shutterstock.com Lithuania's Ministry of National Defense (MOD) has today, May 20, 2026, issued an "air alert in parts of the country" following a "suspected drone approaching from Belarus".
The drone was detected near the border with Belarus, activating the NATO Baltic Air Policing.
Vilnius Airport also announced airspace restrictions imposed "due to a declared air alert".
"After the air alert was lifted, the airspace was reopened and Vilnius Airport operations resumed at 10:56 A.M. local time."
The airport further explained that, due to the disruption, "flight delays are possible throughout the day."
"Passengers whose flights were disrupted by the restrictions or whose flights were canceled are invited to contact their airlines directly."
On May 13, activities at Vilnius Airport were also temporarily suspended due to concerns regarding the intrusion of aerial objects, including balloons, into sensitive flight areas.
The latest incident comes less than 24 hours after a Romanian F-16 deployed in Estonia under the same NATO Air Policing to respond to a similar airspace violation.
"A NATO fighter jet stationed in Lithuania shot down a drone after it entered Estonian airspace. Following airspace violations in Estonia and Latvia, there are no confirmed incidents in Lithuania. All responsible institutions remain alert and ready to respond," said a statement from MOD.
On May 15, air traffic operations at Helsinki Airport were temporarily suspended for three hours "due to a possible dangerous drone", said the authorities.
Similar drone incidents have been reported in recent months across Europe at airports in Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic.