Lithuania scrambles NATO fighter jets and halts Vilnius flights over flock of birds

Airspace alert and fighter scramble

Lithuanian aviation authorities suspended all departures and landings at Vilnius airport in the late morning of 13 September 2026 after radar systems detected suspected unmanned aerial vehicles. The alert covered the sovereign airspace over the capital city of Vilnius as well as the surrounding municipal districts of Trakai and Elektrenai. Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported that authorities promptly issued a national yellow alert across the designated security zones to manage potential threats. NATO command responded immediately by scrambling at least one fighter jet from Siauliai air base in northern Lithuania. The alert aircraft was drawn from the Italian air force detachment currently stationed at the Siauliai military installation under the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission.

Visual confirmation and airport reopening

The Italian fighter jet reached the designated sector and conducted a visual identification of the tracked objects to assess the nature of the potential threat. The airborne inspection confirmed that the radar signatures were produced by a dense flock of birds rather than military or civilian drones. Following this visual verification, the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) officially cleared the airspace and reopened Vilnius airport 38 minutes after the shutdown began. Crisis officials clarified that early radar returns from migrating flocks can closely mimic the electronic traces left by small unmanned aerial vehicles. NKVC head Vilmantas Vitkauskas spoke on Lithuanian radio LRT to reassure citizens and travelers following the resolution of the incident.

There is no threat, people can calm down.

Commercial flight diversions and ground operations

The 38-minute suspension of airport operations forced air traffic controllers to halt pending takeoffs and redirect inbound commercial flights away from the capital. LOT Polish Airlines flight LO771, which was en route from Warsaw to Vilnius, was instructed to turn around mid-air and fly back to Warsaw Chopin Airport. LOT Polish Airlines spokesperson Krzysztof Moczulski stated that the redirected Embraer aircraft, registered as SP-LIO, would refuel in the Polish capital before taking off again for Vilnius. Moczulski added that the scheduled return flight LO772 from Vilnius back to Warsaw would also be completed with an operational delay. Ground activities inside the Lithuanian capital remained largely unaffected by the alert, with organizers confirming that the annual Vilnius marathon continued through city streets without disruption.

Border surveillance and regional intelligence

The Sunday morning false alarm occurred during heightened air surveillance across NATO's eastern flank following Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO allies including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland have documented recurring airspace incursions by unmanned aircraft along their shared borders. Earlier on Sunday at 04:05 local time (03:05 in Poland), Lithuanian air force radar systems tracked a separate unidentified object flying near the southern town of Varena. That early morning object crossed into Lithuanian airspace from the direction of Belarus before exiting toward the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Regional vigilance remains particularly elevated following remarks made in early August by Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas. Citing Lithuanian military intelligence reports, Kaunas revealed that Russia has evaluated using captured Ukrainian-manufactured drones to strike critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, aiming to manufacture ambiguity regarding the origin of any strike on NATO territory.