Smuggler balloons from Belarus disrupted flights at Lithuania’s Vilnius International Airport (VIA) overnight on 4 October 2025, LRT reports. The National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) reported that 25 meteorological balloons, most likely carrying smuggled cigarettes, entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus. State-run airport operator Lietuvos Oro Uostai (LTOU) suspended flights at VIA at around 10pm on 4 October 2025. Flights resumed at 4:50am on 5 October 2025. The shutdown affected about 30 flights and 6,000 passengers. Seven flights were diverted to Latvia’s Riga International Airport, while six flights were cancelled altogether, BNS reported. The State Border Guard Service (VSAT) has detected altogether 501 smuggler balloons so far in 2025, which is 2.2 times more than in the whole of 2024.
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