Balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes lead to Lithuania airport closure
Lithuanian officials recovered 18,000 packs of contraband cigarettes from balloons that flew over the country this weekend, halting air traffic at Vilnius Airport. Officials say up to 25 small hot-air balloons entered Lithuanian airspace on Saturday.
Of the 25 balloons, officials recovered 11 and discovered they had been carrying packs of smuggled cigarettes from Belarus.
The balloons are becoming increasingly popular for Belarusian smugglers, according to CNN. Officials reported similar incidents in August, and Lithuanian authorities intercepted more than 960 hot-air balloons last year.
Airport shut down
This weekend’s interceptions wreaked a bit more havoc than normal, as some balloons flew directly over Lithuania’s Vilnius airport. They forced the airport to shut down for several hours, impacting more than 30 flights and affecting around 6,000 passengers.
Most flights were redirected to neighboring Latvia and Poland, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, all departures were canceled. Flights resumed shortly before 5 a.m. local time on Sunday.
The shutdown comes just months after Lithuania declared a 60-mile no-fly zone parallel to the border with Belarus.
European airspace intrusions
Europe has been on high alert in recent weeks, watching its airspace closely after drones were spotted in NATO airspace.
On Friday, Munich Airport suspended flights due to several drone sightings. The shutdown forced 15 incoming flights to divert to other airports, and 17 other flights were grounded.
Last month, NATO aircraft shot down Russian drones over Poland and intercepted warplanes violating Estonia’s airspace.
Airports in Denmark were also temporarily shut down due to drone sightings.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
