Lithuania’s Vilnius airport reopens after balloon incident

VILNIUS – Lithuania’s Vilnius airport said on Nov 24 it had resumed operations after twice closing temporarily overnight due to balloons moving towards its airspace, diverting some incoming flights to other cities.

European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent months by drone sightings and incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen and Brussels, and the Vilnius closure was the Lithuanian capital’s ninth shutdown since early October.

Lithuania says the disruptions are

caused by weather balloons

transporting contraband cigarettes from neighbouring Belarus, and blames Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for allowing the practice, calling it a form of “hybrid attack”.

“Airspace restrictions lifted on Nov 24 around 3.25am,” the airport said on Facebook on Nov 24.

It had late on Nov 23 said operations were disrupted due to “markings typical of balloons moving in the direction of Vilnius Airport”, and that it was due to reopen 11.30pm GMT.

However, earlier on Nov 24 it said it had again temporarily introduced restrictions at 11.40pm GMT due to balloons moving towards its airspace.

Lithuania in October closed both crossing points on its border with Belarus in response to the balloon incidents, but reopened them earlier this week as the air traffic interruptions appeared to have stopped.

Mr Lukashenko had called the border closure a “crazy scam”, accusing the West of fighting a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia, ushering in a new era of barbed-wire division. REUTERS