Vilnius Airport. Getty Images/Artur Widak
As reported by Reuters Reuters
Lithuania on Saturday evening decided to temporarily suspend operations at Vilnius Airport and close two border crossing points with Belarus after helium balloons again flew into the country’s airspace. Such incidents have recurred in recent days and prompted a security-level response.
Because of these incidents, traffic at the capital’s airport was suspended until 2:00 a.m. local time, and the border with Belarus remained closed until the same time. Earlier in the week the airport also ceased operations on Tuesday, Friday, and October 5 due to similar situations when balloons intercepted the airspace over Vilnius.
Key takeaways and government response
According to Lithuanian authorities, the helium balloons that interfere with airspace are most likely launched by smugglers transporting illegal cigarettes. At the same time, there are attempts to shift responsibility for the lack of action onto the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stated that next week the National Security Commission will review the situation and determine ways to address the problem.
In recent weeks European aviation has been grappling with chaos due to the appearance of drones and other unauthorized objects in airspace – notably in Copenhagen, Munich, and the Baltic region.
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