LOT Polish Airlines

LOT Polish Airlines Embraer E170 suffers runway excursion in Vilnius

The airport has suspended operations until at least 19:00.

A LOT Polish Airlines Embraer E170 has suffered a runway excursion at Vilnius Airport (VNO), which is currently affected by snowy conditions. According to the airport, its sole runway has been closed for operations for a couple of hours following the incident.

On November 26, 2025, a LOT Polish Airlines E170, registered as SP-LDK, suffered a runway excursion at VNO, as confirmed by the airport. According to its statement, which was updated at 14:13 local time (UTC +2), the aircraft was taxiing toward the terminal when it slid off the runway and onto the grass.

“Currently, the passengers on the flight are being disembarked, and the runway will be temporarily closed until 17:00.”

In its latest update, published at 15:41, VNO said that all of the passengers had retrieved their baggage and had left the airport, with the airport having not received any reports about any injuries on board the E170.

However, the airport's operations will be suspended until 19:00, it added.

In an update at 17:40, VNO said that its runway will be closed until 22:00.

In a statement to The Engine Cowl, LOT Polish Airlines confirmed that the E170 "left the paved surface of the taxiway during the final phase of the landing roll."

"There were 63 passengers and 4 crew members on board. After landing, all passengers safely disembarked normally via mobile stairs and were subsequently transported to the terminal."

The Polish carrier added that its technicians, in cooperation with VNO's operational services, "are currently assessing the situation," with the airline canceling the return flight to WAW, flight LO 772.

The E170 was operating flight LO 771 from Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to VNO, one of five daily departures on the route that the Polish airline has scheduled for today, according to Flightradar24. The regional jet landed at VNO at 13:42 local time.

The weather at the airport, updated at 13:50 local time, included snow and a broken cloud layer at 500 feet (152.4 meters) above ground level (AGL), visibility of up to 2,300 m (7,545 ft), and winds of up to 9 knots (4.63 meters per second), per the Meterological Aerodrome Report (METAR) provided by Flightradar24.

As a result of the runway closure, at least three flights have already diverted from VNO to Riga Airport (RIX) or Kaunas Airport (KUN) at the time of publishing, including flight BT 962 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), Wizz Air flight W6 2425 from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), and Lufthansa flight LH 894 from Frankfurt Airport (FRA). The latter was the diversion to KUN.

Between 14:30 and 17:00, VNO has a further eight scheduled arrivals. One flight, Heston Airlines HN 2962, which is most likely a charter, from Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (SSH) was rescheduled to land from 17:04 to 18:19, according to the flight tracking service.

In terms of departures, Wizz Air moved its flight from VNO to BUD from 14:20 to 18:05. The schedules can still change, especially if the runway is still closed beyond 17:00.

VNO has already had to deal with numerous, mostly contraband balloon-related disruptions over the past few weeks, including a temporary suspension of operations on November 23 and the early morning hours on November 24, as well as on November 20.

In February 2024, an Avion Express Airbus A320 temporarily veered off the runway as it landed at the airport.