Belarus Flight operations in Vilnius temporarily suspended due to balloons
In Lithuania, flight operations at the airport in the capital Vilnius were temporarily suspended on Sunday night due to the overflight of suspected hot-air balloons. According to the National Crisis Management Center, the airspace of the Baltic EU and NATO country bordering Belarus was previously violated by 25 weather balloons, which are usually used by smugglers.
05.10.2025, 12:15
SDA
13 had been spotted over Vilnius and the surrounding area, and two of them near the airport, a spokesman for the center told Lithuanian radio. The airspace around the airport had therefore been closed and flight operations stopped for the time being for safety reasons.
Several incoming flights were diverted and some departures were canceled. According to the airport, a total of around 30 flights and 6,000 passengers were affected by the restrictions during the closure, which was imposed at 10.16 pm. Air traffic was resumed at 4.50 am. However, the airport operator announced that there could be further individual flight delays during the course of the day.
Just a few weeks ago, air traffic in Vilnius was temporarily suspended due to drone sightings. European air traffic has been repeatedly disrupted by drone sightings and airspace violations in recent weeks, most recently at Munich Airport.
"Smuggling balloons" over Lithuania
The head of the crisis management center, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, said on Lithuanian radio that the wind had blown from the south during the night. These are favorable conditions for the launch of such balloons. "It is very important to track them down and find out who wants to take them," he said. An intensive search is currently underway for the balloons, seven of which have been found in various districts of the country so far, according to the border guard. A total of 12,000 packs of cigarettes had been transported with them, a spokesperson for the authorities said.
The use of weather balloons to smuggle illegal cigarettes from authoritarian Belarus into neighboring Lithuania is not a new phenomenon. However, their use has increased significantly due to the improved surveillance and security of the border with a fence and other protective measures. According to Vitkauskas, an estimated 500 such balloons have been spotted crossing the Lithuanian border illegally by air this year alone.
