In Lithuania, at the airport in the city of Vilnius, all flights were halted overnight due to balloons carrying Belarusian contraband. This was reported by 'Glavkom' citing Sky News.
“Operations were disrupted due to the use of weather balloons for smuggling cigarettes from Belarus,” reported the National Center for Crisis Management.
The incident occurred on the night of October 21 to 22, 2025, leading to the closure of one of the largest airports in Lithuania. In a statement, the National Center for Crisis Management (NCCM) noted that the helium balloons that caused the halt of air traffic were transporting smuggled cigarettes from Belarus.
Consequences and Comments
As of October 22, more than 30 flights had been canceled due to the restrictions in airspace. However, some flights still remain canceled or delayed. The head of the National Center for Crisis Response of Lithuania, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, called the “weather balloon situation” from Belarus a coordinated operation.
In Lithuania, at Vilnius airport, flights were canceled due to smuggled cigarettes being transported by helium balloons from Belarus. This incident led to the cancellation of many flights and was the reason for a coordinated operation against smuggling. The consequences of the event affected air traffic in the region, forcing flights to be rerouted or canceled throughout the day.