Vilnius Airport halts flights due to weather balloons from Belarus

Vilnius Airport temporarily suspended flight operations after balloons carrying contraband were detected coming from Belarus, reports Bernardinai.

Restrictions were imposed from 20:45 local time (22:45 Baku time) for three hours and may be lifted depending on wind conditions and the movement of the objects.

The report notes that the last operational pause occurred on November 5, when a drone was detected, while flights were also suspended on October 30 due to weather balloons carrying contraband.

“Launches of weather balloons from Belarus, used to transport contraband cigarettes, led to the closure of several airports in Lithuania at the end of October, affecting around 150 flights and more than 20,000 passengers,” the article states.

Over the past two weeks, operations at Vilnius Airport have been repeatedly suspended and once at Kaunas Airport, due to sightings of weather balloons used by smugglers to transport cigarettes from Belarus. They disrupted more than 160 flights and affected over 22,000 passengers. Most suspensions have occurred during nighttime hours, beginning around 20:00.

By Khagan Isayev