Travel chaos as third european airport forced to suspend flights after mystery sighting

An airport in Europe was forced to suspend its operation after a drone was spotted in its vicinity. On Wednesday, November 5, airspace was restricted at the largest air hub in Lithuania, Vilnius Airport. A spokesperson from the airport said: "Preliminary information indicates that the decision to restrict airspace was made after a drone was detected within the Vilnius Airport area."

This comes after two airports in Belgium halted operations because of a mysterious drone sighting. Air traffic was suspended at Brussels Airport in the capital and Liège Airport in the east of the country on November 4. A number of planes were diverted to Liège Airport, a smaller nearby airport, as the airport shut down as a safety precaution.

Drones were also reportedly sighted above the Florennes military air base in the province of Namur, where the first Belgian F-35 fighter jets are based. A spokesperson for Brussels Airport explained yesterday: "There are no flights currently landing or taking off."

Vilnius Airport has previously experienced closures for the same reason.

Recently, a balloon stuffed with cigarettes floated across the border from Belarus, forcing the airport to cease operations. 25 giant meteorological balloons were spotted drifting into Lithuanian airspace. Two of the balloons floated directly over the airport.

30 flights were then cancelled and around 6,000 passengers were affected. "The shutdown led to 30 flight cancellations, putting a pause to 6,000 passengers' travel plans," a spokesperson said at the time.

These strange balloons have sparked fears over Russian involvement. The balloons floated from the border between Lithuania and Belarus, the latter of which is run by one of Vladimir Putin's closest allies, Alexander Lukashenko.

In early 2022, he has allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory to launch troops into Ukraine for the Kremlin's unlawful invasion of the country. Officials say the cigarette-stuffed balloons were a clear violation of international airspace laws. The incident is being treated as a serious breach by the National Crisis Management Centre.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in these recent incidents amid speculation of Russian links.