Lithuania reopens airport after smuggler balloon incident
Lithuania reopened Vilnius Airport and its border crossings with Belarus on Wednesday after suspending operations overnight when dozens of smuggler balloons entered its airspace.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė warned that the country would close its border with Belarus entirely if similar incidents occur again, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“If such major crossings of balloons over our border are repeated, we will react immediately and close our border with Belarus... We will make no concessions,” Ruginienė told reporters.
Authorities said around a dozen balloons were recovered on the ground and four people were arrested. The National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) reported that the balloons carried contraband cigarettes from Belarus, marking the second such incident this month.
The disruptions forced the cancellation or delay of about 30 flights, affecting more than 4,000 passengers late on Tuesday.
Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, lies just 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Belarusian border. Belarus is a close ally of Russia, and tensions between the two neighbors have remained high since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
European aviation has faced growing challenges in recent weeks due to drone and balloon incursions, including disruptions at airports in Copenhagen, Munich, and across the Baltic region. Moscow has denied involvement in these incidents.
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