Overview

• Operations were halted for several hours overnight after reports of a group of balloons moving toward the airport.
• The Lithuanian civil aviation authority ordered the suspension, triggering diversions to Riga, Kaunas and Poland, cancellations and one return to Copenhagen.
• Media reports cited about 13 balloons, FAA notices referred to hot‑air balloons, and officials described them as weather or smugglers' balloons with the origin still unknown.
• Border guards said seven balloons were recovered across the country carrying roughly 12,000 packs of cigarettes, and searches and investigations continue.
• Airport officials said about 30 flights and nearly 6,000 passengers were affected, reflecting a wider pattern of recent airspace disruptions across Europe.