From Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning, operations at Vilnius Airport were disrupted due to meteorological balloons used for cigarette smuggling from Belarus, the National Crisis Management Centre announced.
The centre stated that dozens of meteorological balloons had been observed, and there could be even more.
“Flights have been suspended until further notice from the Lithuanian Civil Aviation Administration. Airport customers and passengers are advised to follow official information from Vilnius Airport,” the statement said.
According to Vitalija Ročė, a representative of Lithuanian Airports, the smuggling balloons affected a total of six flights — both arrivals and departures.
“Some flights were diverted to Kaunas, and one returned to its departure airport,” Ročė said. “We cannot say when the situation will be resolved, as we cannot predict when the airspace will be reopened. As soon as it is, Vilnius Airport will resume operations,” she added.
Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed until 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday
or until a decision from the air traffic control company Oro Navigacija, the National Crisis Management Centre reported.
According to Vilnius Airport’s announcement, the operational restrictions have affected more than 4,000 passengers and 30 flights. Fourteen flights bound for Vilnius were diverted to other airports — ten to Kaunas, two to Riga, one to Palanga, and one to Warsaw.
Ten flights were cancelled, one aircraft returned to its point of origin, and several more departing from Vilnius are expected to be delayed.
Meanwhile, information on Riga Airport’s website indicates that the flight from Vilnius to Riga, scheduled to arrive in the Latvian capital at 6:30 a.m., was cancelled this morning.
The last time smuggling balloons affected airport operations was at the beginning of October, when more than 20 meteorological balloons violated Lithuanian airspace.
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