Suspected drone alert briefly closes Vilnius Airport as NATO scrambles fighter jet

Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed on Sunday after authorities detected what was initially believed to be a drone in Lithuanian airspace, prompting NATO to scramble a fighter jet.

The alert was later lifted after the object was visually identified as a flock of birds, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre said.

The incident briefly disrupted air traffic at the Lithuanian capital's airport as authorities responded to the potential airspace threat. A NATO fighter jet was scrambled from Šiauliai in northern Lithuania, where the Italian Air Force is currently deployed as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission.

The aircraft's visual inspection determined that the radar contact had been caused by birds rather than a drone. Lithuanian authorities said radar signatures produced by birds and drones can initially appear similar.

The air alert was lifted and Vilnius Airport reopened within 38 minutes, according to the National Crisis Management Centre.

The incident nevertheless highlighted the heightened level of airspace vigilance in Lithuania and across NATO's eastern flank, where authorities have increased monitoring following a series of drone-related incidents in and around the region.

Recent incidents have underscored the difficulty of distinguishing drones from other objects on radar. Finland said earlier this month that four Ukrainian military drones had unintentionally entered its airspace in March and April because of a combination of satellite-navigation interference and wind.

Lithuania's latest alert also came shortly after a drone sighting temporarily disrupted air traffic at Brussels Airport on Friday, demonstrating how reports of unidentified unmanned aircraft continue to trigger immediate security responses at European airports.

While Sunday's incident turned out to be a false alarm, the rapid deployment of a NATO fighter and temporary closure of the capital's airport illustrate the heightened sensitivity surrounding unidentified aerial objects over NATO territory.