Balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes closed Lithuania's main airport for hours

Weather balloons carrying contraband cigarettes entered Lithuanian airspace on Saturday, leading to the closure of Vilnius Airport for hours, authorities have said.

The disruption affected 6,000 passengers on 30 flights, they added.

Lithuanian police recovered 11 balloons and some 18,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes in different locations, according to Darius Buta, a spokesperson for the country’s National Crisis Management Center.

Buta said that two of the balloons — which smugglers now commonly use to transport illegal goods from neighbouring Belarus — flew above the airport.

Up to 25 of the balloons were spotted flying over Lithuania between roughly 8:45 pm (7:45 pm CET) on Saturday and 4:30 am (3:30 am CET) on Sunday, the authorities said.

The appearance of the meteorological balloons came as European countries were on high alert, following a spate of rogue drone sightings across the continent.

EU leaders have blamed Russia over incidents including a mass drone incursion in Poland last month, something Moscow denies.

On 10 July, Lithuania found a Russian-made Gerbera drone that had flown into its territory from Belarus, a key ally of Russia.

Another was found in early August, after crashing at a military training ground on 28 July.

In response to drones being flown into its territory, Lithuania declared a 90 km (60 mile) no-fly zone parallel to the border with Belarus, saying this would allow its military to react to violations and shoot down unmanned drones.

Similar incidents to the one recorded on Saturday have been reported in recent years, but with fewer balloons.

Last year, the Lithuanian authorities intercepted 966 hot-air balloons entering from Belarus, with 544 recorded this year.

The Lithuanian capital Vilnius is located only 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the border with Belarus.