A major European airport has suspended operations due to a “balloon threat”.
Vilnius Airport in Lithuania has halted operations after airspace restrictions were put in place over the capital city’s airport at 6.09pm (4.09pm GMT). The suspension is set to last until 9pm.
“Preliminary information indicates that the decision to impose airspace restrictions was triggered by navigational markers, typical of balloons, moving toward Vilnius Airport,” the airport said.
A Ryanair flight traveling from Oslo to Vilnius was among those diverted. That flight has been sent to Kaunas Airport (KUN), while a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Vilnius was diverted to Riga, the airport’s website says. A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Vilnius turned around and returned to Helsinki.
Vilnius Airport has been forced to close at least 10 times since early October.
The airport briefly halted operations late on Friday evening before resuming them on Saturday. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the country’s National Crisis Management Centre, said: “This night was the peak of cynicism.” He claimed balloons from Belarus appeared from Friday evening until 6.30am on Saturday.
The Baltic country has argued helium weather balloons are carrying contraband cigarettes and has slammed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for allowing the practice.
In response, Lithuania shut its border with Belarus in October and reopened it last week. Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic said the move would “send a clear message to our not-so-friendly neighbour” over the balloon incursions.
The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded in a statement: “Lithuanian politicians have decided to exploit the situation and place all the blame on Belarus, thus covering up their own inability (or unwillingness?) to find the smugglers’ contractors” inside Lithuania.
