Balloons carrying thousands of packs of cigarettes have disrupted flights in Lithuania, as Vilnius Airport was forced to close for hours when dozens of them floated into the country’s airspace.
The National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) told the BBC that 25 meteorological balloons were detected entering Lithuania from neighbouring Belarus, two of which ended up directly over the airport.
The airport said the shutdown led to 30 flight cancellations affecting 6,000 passengers. It warned that there may still be delays on Monday.
The “airspace violations” come at a time of heightened tension in Europe after a number of drone incursions, suspected of being linked to Russia, caused air traffic disruption.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the recent incidents.
Up to 14 of the weather balloons launched over the weekend floated over the Vilnius area, home to Lithuania’s capital and close to the border with Belarus, Lithuanian officials said.
At least 11 balloons carrying 18,000 packs of black-market cigarettes have since been recovered, though this number could rise, Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service said.
Despite the disruption they caused, a NCMC spokesman said: “Balloons with contraband cargo – cigarettes from Belarus – are nothing new in Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland.”
So far this year, 544 balloons have been recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus, he said, while 966 were last year.
Meanwhile, the north-eastern Podlaskie region of Poland, which also borders Belarus, has recorded more than 100 cases in which contraband was flown in from its neighbour using the balloons, which are typically used to carry weather instruments to high altitudes.
In one instance last month, Polish police detained a Belarusian citizen whose car had been circling cigarettes smuggled in using a balloon. A geolocation tag was reportedly found on his phone linked to the illicit goods.
Asked why criminals use a method that is highly susceptible to the weather, rather than much more controllable drones, the NCMC spokesman said: “Meteorological balloons are a rudimentary tool used by smugglers – they are cheaper than drones for transporting cigarettes from Belarus.”
He added: “Our services’ aim is to seize the largest possible quantities of contraband and to detain organisers and perpetrators so that this activity is unprofitable and does not pose a risk to civil aviation.”
Drones of unclear origin caused the closure of Danish airports and airspace in September. Drones were also seen over neighbouring Norway and Germany, prompting European leaders to accelerate discussions about strengthening air defences.
Denmark said at the time there was no evidence to suggest Russian involvement, despite Moscow being blamed for earlier airspace incursions into Poland, Estonia and Romania.
Russia either denied these earlier incursions or said they were accidental as its full-scale invasion of nearby Ukraine continues.
