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…
Latvia’s Riga International Airport (RIX) served more than 3.3 million passengers in the first half of 2025, which was 5% more than in the same period of 2024, LSM reported. The number of flights increased by 3% to 30,378. The airport’s cargo turnover rose by 9% to 9,194 tonnes.
The Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) has revoked the temporary residence permit of a Russian citizen for repeatedly travelling to Russia and Belarus, BNS reports. The person is the first to lose their residence status under a new law, which bars Russian citizens from travelling to either country more than once within any three-month period. LMD…
The Estonian government has rejected an offer to buy shares in Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, LSM reports. Estonia’s Infrastructure Minister, Kuldar Leis, explained that the decision was due to the fact that airBaltic’s change of management had not been completed and its financial situation remained problematic. He said that Estonia would not raise airport…
Estonia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Eesti Liinirongid (Elron), plans to open a direct train connection between Tartu in southern Estonia and the Latvian capital, Riga, in summer 2025, BNS reports. Elron will soon begin test runs between Valga and Riga. CEO Lauri Betlem said that the authorisation of trains in Latvia had taken much longer…
The cargo turnover of Estonia’s Port of Tallinn totalled over 13mn tonnes in 2024, which was up 4.4% from 2023, ERR reports. The port operator served over 8mn passengers in 2024, which was 3.6% more than a year earlier. The number of passengers on Estonia’s island ferries rose by 2.1% over a year. Port of…
Lithuania’s three international airports served an all-time record of 6.6 million passengers in 2024, which was almost 10% more than in 2023, according to state-owned airport operator Lietuvos Oro Uostai (LTOU), Made in Vilnius reports. The previous record was in 2019, when LTOU’s passenger turnover was 6.5 million people. LTOU’s airports served more than 56,800…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, has no plans to ask the government for more money, CEO Martin Gauss stated, LSM reports. Speaking in an interview with LTV, Gauss said that the company had to raise additional capital from international investors on the stock market instead. Earlier, Klavs Vasks, chairman of airBaltic’s supervisory board, surmised that…
Estonian shipping company Tallink Grupp carried a total of 5,580,016 passengers in 2024, which was down 2.2% from 5,705,600 in 2023, ERR reports. The number of passengers increased by 2.5% on the route between Estonia and Finland and 8% on the routes between Estonia and Sweden, but decreased by 15.4% on the routes between Finland…