With smuggling balloons launched from Belarus repeatedly disrupting operations at Vilnius Airport, other European airports are now seeking advice from Lithuania on how to respond to the emerging security threat, the head of Lithuanian Airports said Friday.
“Airlines, especially foreign airlines flying to Lithuania, need to be told that this is a new type of threat,” Simonas Bartkus, CEO of Lithuanian Airports (LTOU), told reporters at Kaunas Airport. “There are not many examples in Europe, and other European airports are interested in our practices for dealing with this situation.”
Bartkus noted that similar tactics have been used in South Korea, but Europe has seen few such incidents. Despite the disruptions, he said carriers appear to be adapting.
LTOU, which operates the airports in Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga, is in close communication with airlines, and Bartkus said he does not expect travellers to avoid flying to Lithuania because of the balloon threat.
“Passenger confidence is very important, and we are actively working on that,” he said. “If passengers remain confident and continue to choose air travel as the safest option, then there is no risk that flights will decrease.”
He added that Lithuania’s aviation sector is in a relatively strong position because the country has three airports located close to one another, a setup he said offers operational flexibility when one facility is disrupted.
“I remember discussions at one time that we have too many airports,” Bartkus said. “I think this situation shows that we don’t have too many airports, especially in this new context of threats.”
Ensuring safe operations, he said, remains the top priority: “As long as flights are safe, the key is to maintain passenger confidence that it is safe to fly here.”
Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed again on Thursday evening due to suspected smuggling balloons crossing from Belarus. The shutdown affected more than 1,100 passengers and ten flights.
The incident was the latest in a series of disruptions linked to tobacco-smuggling balloons. Vilnius and Kaunas Airports were closed several times in October, affecting roughly 150 flights and more than 20,000 passengers.
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