Vilnius Airport Reopens After Balloon-Related Closure
Vilnius Airport in Lithuania reopened early Sunday, October 5th, after a several-hour disruption caused by an alert regarding unidentified “balloons” approaching teh airspace. Approximately 30 flights were delayed, canceled, or diverted during the closure, which lasted from 10:15 p.m.Saturday (9:15 p.m. French time) until 4:40 a.m. Sunday,according to Darius Buta,a representative of the National Crisis Management Center.
The balloons are believed to be connected to a smuggling operation originating in Belarus.authorities report around 25 balloons have violated Lithuanian airspace,including two spotted near Vilnius Airport. As of Sunday morning, eleven balloons carrying packs of cigarettes have been recovered.
“Such balloons have already landed in Lithuania, even at the airport, earlier this year,” stated darius Buta, adding that border guards have been authorized to shoot down these balloons as 2024.
These meteorological balloons are being used to transport Belarusian cigarettes for sale in the European Union, where tobacco products are more expensive.Lithuania recorded 966 such balloon incursions in 2023 and 544 so far this year.
Buta clarified that while the use of drones and weather balloons by smugglers is considered criminal activity, it is indeed not currently being treated as an act of sabotage or provocation.
The incident comes amid heightened sensitivity regarding airspace violations in Lithuania, a member of both the EU and NATO. This follows two previous incidents as July involving Russian drones penetrating Lithuanian territory, one of which carried explosives.
