Lithuania confirmed that what was initially thought to be a drone sighting in its airspace on Sunday, resulting in the closure of Vilnius airport and the dispatch of a NATO fighter jet, turned out to be a flock of birds. The air alert was quickly lifted, and the airport resumed operations within 38 minutes after visual confirmation by the NATO jet.
According to Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre, initial radar readings can sometimes mistake bird formations for drones. A fighter jet was scrambled from Siauliai in northern Lithuania, where the Italian air force is stationed as part of the NATO Baltic Air Defence mission.
Incursions of military drones into the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are raising concerns about the potential spillover of the conflict in Ukraine into NATO’s northern borders with Russia. Despite the incident, the Vilnius marathon continued without interruption, as confirmed by organizers to Reuters.
In a separate incident in August, a drone carrying an unidentified explosive device was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany. NATO remains vigilant in monitoring airspace threats over eastern Europe to address suspicious drone activities that could impact airport operations.
