Vilnius Airport was closed overnight after dozens of suspected cigarette-smuggling balloons entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, disrupting air travel and triggering an emergency government response.
The National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) confirmed that the incident forced the cancellation of 30 flights and affected the travel plans of around 4,000 passengers.
The closure began at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday and lasted until 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday. During that period, all incoming flights were redirected to alternate destinations, including Warsaw and Lithuania’s secondary hub in Kaunas.
“Operations have been disrupted due to weather balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from Belarus,” the NCMC said in an official statement. Authorities also announced a temporary closure of the border with Belarus as security forces responded to the airborne intrusion.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė directly blamed Belarus for the disruption and called for urgent action. “This morning I already demanded that everyone come with concrete solutions.
We must discuss this situation immediately and find—not debate—what to do,” she said. “I would very much like Belarus to take responsibility for these incidents.”
An investigation has been launched into the source and coordination of the balloon launches, with early findings suggesting that they were released from multiple sites rather than a single location.
The NCMC confirmed that authorities were retrieving balloon remnants and assessing any possible security breaches.
This was not an isolated incident. Earlier this month, Vilnius Airport was forced to close temporarily after similar cigarette-smuggling balloons were detected. At that time, authorities reported finding at least 11 balloons carrying over 18,000 packs of illicit cigarettes.
The latest closure adds to a series of disruptions affecting European airports in recent months, including incidents involving drones over Copenhagen, Munich, and other Baltic airfields.
European officials have warned that such acts could be part of broader hybrid tactics aimed at destabilizing regional infrastructure.
The European Union has previously accused Russia and its allies of engaging in hybrid warfare tactics to create instability across the bloc. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations.
As Lithuania grapples with repeated airspace violations and smuggling operations, authorities are stepping up border surveillance and air defense coordination. Prime Minister Ruginienė said the National Security Committee will meet later today to determine long-term measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
For thousands of stranded passengers, the unexpected closure of Vilnius Airport underscored how fragile Europe’s aviation networks remain amid rising geopolitical tensions in the region.