US EditionLithuania's Vilnius airport reopens after suspension over balloons in airspace
Dozens of balloons carrying 18,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes from Belarus caused the closure of Vilnius Airport, disrupting 30 flights and affecting 6,000 passengers, officials said.
- Late on Saturday, Vilnius Airport suspended operations at 22:16 after up to 25 small hot-air balloons entered Lithuanian airspace, delaying 30 flights and affecting 6,000 passengers until flights resumed at 04:50 Sunday.
- Belarusian smugglers increasingly used meteorological-type balloons because they are cheaper than drones, launching them several kilometres inside Belarus with southern winds aiding entry into the European Union.
- Border police recovered 11 balloons and some 18,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes, while VSAT said those balloons carried 12,000 packs and reported 501 smuggling balloons detected this year.
- Most flights were redirected to Riga and Kaunas, six flights to Zurich, London, Frankfurt, Kutaisi, Warsaw, and Copenhagen were canceled, and Flightradar24 logged 8 diversions, affecting passengers.
- Recent European airspace intrusions led Lithuania and NATO to impose a 90-km no-fly zone and authorize shootdowns, amid airport closures in Munich and Copenhagen.
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182 Articles
Mysterious weather balloons from Belarus paralyzed Vilnius Airport and left 6,000 passengers stranded. In the meantime, it is clear what purpose the flying objects served - the Lithuanian authorities also reported several arrests.
Up to 25 weather balloons sailed across the Lithuanian border on Sunday night. Authorities have found eleven of them – and seized around 18,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes.
Airport Shuttered by Cigarette-Smuggling Balloons
Flights were brought to a halt at Lithuania's busiest airport over the weekend after dozens of balloons loaded with black-market cigarettes drifted in from Belarus. Lithuanian officials said 25 balloons—normally used for meteorological purposes—were detected Sunday, with two ending up above Vilnius Airport, prompting the cancellation of 30...
Hot air balloons are often confiscated in Lithuania and almost always come from Belarus.
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