On the evening of October 26, Vilnius airport temporarily suspended operations again due to the appearance of balloons approaching the flight zone. This is the fourth such incident in the Lithuanian capital during the week.
This was reported by LRT with reference to the airport's press service.
According to preliminary data, airspace restrictions were introduced at 09:42 pm due to one or more balloons heading towards the airport. The airport is scheduled to resume operations after 1:40 am.
The National Crisis Center of Lithuania previously reported that in response to repeated cases of balloon launches, the country may temporarily close border crossings with Belarus.
As noted by LRT, similar incidents have already occurred on October 21, 25 and 26. Because of them, it was necessary to close not only the airport in Vilnius, but also in Kaunas. In total, about 95 flights and 14 thousand passengers were affected.
Earlier, the Lithuanian Air Force reported that on October 21, more than 200 balloons with smuggled cigarettes were detected over the country, which flew from the territory of Belarus.
Due to repeated incidents, Prime Minister Inga Ruginenė convened a meeting of the National Security Commission for October 27. They will discuss long-term measures to prevent such violations - in particular, the possible long-term closure of two border crossings with Belarus.
The Lithuanian presidential administration said that potential steps are also considering restrictions on transit to Kaliningrad and the complete closure of the border with Belarus in the event of further escalation.
Recall that at least 25 balloons violated Lithuanian airspace on October 4. Vilnius airport temporarily suspended operations due to the intrusion of balloons.
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