Lithuania closes Vilnius airspace after new balloon-linked smuggling breach

Airspace over Lithuania’s capital Vilnius was temporarily shut down on the evening of October 30, 2025, after unidentified objects were spotted near the airport, the sixth incident of its type in a month linked to suspected cigarette smuggling from Belarus. 

This latest incident comes as the Baltic country had already closed its border with Belarus until further notice, following a similar incident on the weekend of October 25–26, 2025, when weather balloons disrupted operations at both Vilnius (VNO) and Kaunas (KUN) airports. 

Vilnius Airport announced in a statement that the airspace was closed at 20:30 local time due to balloons heading towards the airport. The airspace remained closed for over two hours, reopening at 22:43 local time. 

These temporary restrictions impacted both incoming and outgoing flights, leading to some cancellations. According to the airport, 20 flights and more than 2,000 passengers were affected. Four cancellations, four diversions, and 12 delays were reported. 

The airport cautioned that some flights might still face delays even after the restrictions were lifted, due to disrupted crew and aircraft rotation. 

“Passengers whose flights have been cancelled are advised not to go to the airport and to contact their airlines directly for alternative travel options and more detailed information,” the airport said. “Airlines must provide all necessary information to passengers about further actions and flight alternatives.” 

On October 31, 2025, Giedrius Mišutis, an advisor from the State Border Guard Service, informed local news agency Elta that two balloons containing cigarettes had been spotted in the Varėna district on October 30, 2025, between 21:00 and 22:00 local time. Another balloon was found by police in Vilnius that same evening. 

According to the police, the balloons contained what appeared to be smuggled Minsk Capital cigarettes, along with two GPS transmitters equipped with SIM cards. 

These developments point to a concerning increase in airspace threats within NATO territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania described it as a hybrid attack on the country and issued a strong protest regarding the continuous breaches in Lithuanian airspace. 

On October 23, 2025, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense (MoD) declared that Russian military aircraft had briefly violated Lithuania’s airspace, prompting a response from NATO jets on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA). 

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