Lithuania’s Vilnius airport closes again due to balloons, local authorities say
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Smugglers’ balloons appearing on radar caused Lithuania’s Vilnius airport to close.
PHOTO: GOOGLE STREET VIEW
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VILNIUS – Lithuania’s Vilnius airport closed on Nov 20 due to smugglers’ balloons appearing on radar, Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said.
In October, the Baltic republic closed its border crossings with Belarus in response to airspace disruptions by weather balloons coming in from Belarus, but reopened them earlier on Nov 20.
Lithuania has said the balloons, which have caused closures at Lithuanian airports, are flown by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes and blames Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko for not stopping the practice, calling it a form of “hybrid attack”.
Air traffic incident reports had decreased in recent weeks, prior to the Nov 20 closure of Vilnius airport. REUTERS
