Balloons Disrupt Air Traffic in Lithuania Amid Smuggling Concerns

Mon Oct 20 2025 02:50:39 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Vilnius Airport faced significant disruptions as weather balloons carrying illicit cigarettes floated into its airspace, leading to flight cancellations and heightened security measures.

Lithuanian authorities closed Vilnius Airport for several hours after 25 weather balloons, used to smuggle cigarettes from Belarus, entered its airspace, leading to 30 flight cancellations affecting 6,000 passengers. The incident raises concerns over air traffic safety amid ongoing tensions in Europe.

Balloons carrying thousands of packs of cigarettes have disrupted flights in Lithuania, as Vilnius Airport was forced to close for hours when dozens of them floated into the country's airspace.

The National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) reported that 25 meteorological balloons were detected entering Lithuania from neighbouring Belarus, with two landing directly over the airport.

This closure resulted in 30 flight cancellations affecting approximately 6,000 passengers, with warnings of further delays extending into Monday.

The airspace violations come amid heightened tensions in Europe after a series of drone incursions, suspected to be linked to Russia, have disrupted air traffic recently. Moscow has denied involvement in these incidents.

Officials reported that 14 of the weather balloons launched over the weekend floated over the Vilnius area, which is in proximity to the Belarus border. Lithuania's State Border Guard Service recovered at least 11 balloons carrying a total of 18,000 packs of black-market cigarettes, a number that may rise.

While the disruption was significant, a NCMC spokesperson noted that balloons carrying contraband cargo are not uncommon in Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. This year alone, Lithuania recorded 544 balloon incidents from Belarus compared to 966 last year.

Additionally, the Podlaskie region of Poland has witnessed over 100 cases of contraband transported using these balloons, which are normally intended for meteorological purposes. In a recent event, a Belarusian citizen was detained by Polish police while attempting to smuggle in cigarettes using such a balloon.

The NCMC explained that smugglers opt for weather balloons over drones due to their lower cost, despite their susceptibility to weather conditions. The agency aims to intercept as much contraband as possible to deter these activities and maintain air traffic safety.

Recent drone sightings have also led to the closure of Danish airports, prompting European leaders to discuss air defense enhancements as incidents of airspace violations have risen in different parts of Europe.