The official statement from the airport states that air traffic in the Vilnius area will be “restricted”; for more than a day — from 12:00 July 11 to 14:00 July 12.
Thus, more than 100 flights from Vilnius will be canceled, and passengers are advised to consider the changes in advance and contact their airlines for flight schedule information.
The statement reads, in part: “It should also be noted that due to more intense than usual air traffic and congestion at the airports of Vilnius and Kaunas, interruptions and delays in air transport are also likely. If possible, it is recommended not to travel by plane to or from Vilnius or Kaunas between 12:00 11 July and 14:00 12 July.
From 7 to 13 July, other air traffic restrictions are introduced in Lithuania, during which the flights of small aircraft, balloons and unmanned aerial vehicles will be banned.
This is the first NATO summit to be held in Lithuania, and it is already considered the largest event in the history of the country. About 40-50 foreign delegations and about 2,000 representatives of non-governmental organizations and international media are expected to attend the event.
US President Joe Biden also promised to visit Vilnius.
According to European Union law, restrictions on flights in connection with forums such as the NATO summit are considered an emergency beyond the control of carriers, so airlines are not required to compensate passengers cancellation of flights.
Despite the fact that it is already 100% known that there will be no flights to and from Vilnius Airport, some airlines continue to sell tickets as if nothing had happened.
For example, the other day it was still possible to book a flight by the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair from Vilnius to London Stansted Airport for July 12 at 11:25. On the same day, it was possible to purchase tickets to Athens at 06:10 am and to the Greek island of Corfu with a departure at 13:45.
A similar promotion was undertaken by the Hungarian airline Wizz Air, which still sells tickets for flight on July 12 at 06:55 to Eindhoven, on July 11 at 17:00 to Barcelona and on July 12 at 06:10 to Kutaisi.