Airport officials announced that an Embraer E170STD passenger aircraft belonging to LOT Polish Airlines, which arrived from Warsaw on Thursday, veered off the taxiway shortly after landing at Vilnius Airport. Following the incident, the airport runway was temporarily closed, and the closure was extended until at least 22:00.
“Aircraft departed the asphalt surface during taxi”
Spokesperson for Lithuanian Airports, Tadas Vasiliauskas, stated that flight LO771 landed safely at 13:43, but while heading towards the parking area, the aircraft left the asphalt surface and came to a stop on the grass.
In his statement, Vasiliauskas said:
“The aircraft skidded off the taxiway while taxiing towards the parking area after landing.”
Passengers evacuated, no injuries
Flight tracking data showed that the aircraft had come to a stop in the northern section of the airport and was surrounded by several emergency vehicles, including a fire truck. In the afternoon, passengers began to be evacuated from the aircraft.
Officials confirmed that there were no injuries and that the situation was under control.
Runway closure extended to 22:00
Vilnius Airport had closed its main runway following the incident and initially announced that the closure was expected to last until 17:00. Based on a new assessment, the runway closure was extended until 22:00.
Ministry and Emergency Commission involved
The Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications announced shortly after the incident that the Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) Emergency Commission held a special meeting at the airport. The meeting was attended by Minister of Transport Juras Taminskas, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, and LTOU executives.
The Ministry’s statement included the following:
“There were no injuries among the passengers, and the circumstances of the incident are being investigated.”
