All you need to know as EU airport suspends flights due to ‘attack threats’

Vilnius Airport in Lithuania has suspended flight operations once again due to suspected smuggler balloons allegedly from Belarus, prompting Lithuania to call for EU sanctions on Minsk

Lithuania has been forced to shut down Vilnius Airport again due to the threat posed by balloons coming from Russia-backed Belarus

• Vilnius Airport has once again halted flight operations this evening (30 November) due to the suspected presence of smuggler balloons originating from Belarus.
• The airport has already faced disruptions this week due to these balloons, leading Lithuania to urge the EU to impose targeted sanctions on Belarus for allegedly ignoring smuggling activities at the border.
• Lithuanian officials have reported an increase in the use of smuggler balloons since October. It’s alleged that these balloons are being used to transport cigarettes into the European Union.
• Today’s incident has resulted in restrictions being implemented until 9pm local time, with hopes that the flight path will be clear by then.
• In a statement, the airport announced: “We inform that on 30 November 2025 at 18:09 temporary airspace restrictions were introduced over Vilnius Airport.
• The restrictions will remain in effect until 21:00.According to initial information, the decision to impose airspace restrictions was influenced by navigation signatures characteristic of balloons moving in the direction of Vilnius Airport”.
• Flightradar24 reports that a Finnair aircraft en route from Helsinki to Vilnius was compelled to turn back and return to Helsinki due to the disruption.
• READ FULL STORY HERE: Vilnius Airport suspends flight operations again due to Belarus’ ‘balloon attack’ threat

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