Lithuania's Vilnius airport said on Monday it had resumed operations after twice closing temporarily overnight due to balloons moving towards its airspace, diverting some incoming flights to other cities.
European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent months by drone sightings and incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen and Brussels, and the Vilnius closure was the Lithuanian capital's ninth shutdown since early October.
Lithuania says the disruptions are caused by weather balloons transporting contraband cigarettes from neighboring Belarus, and blames Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for allowing the practice, calling it a form of "hybrid attack."
"Airspace restrictions lifted on November 24 around 03:25 a.m.," the airport said on Facebook on Monday.
It had been late on Sunday when operations were disrupted due to "markings typical of balloons moving in the direction of Vilnius Airport," and it was due to reopen at 2330 GMT.
Restrictions had to be introduced due to balloons coming towards the airport
However, earlier on Monday, it said it had again temporarily introduced restrictions at 2340 GMT due to balloons moving towards its airspace.
Lithuania last month closed both crossing points on its border with Belarus in response to the balloon incidents, but reopened them earlier this week as the air traffic interruptions appeared to have stopped.
Lukashenko had called the border closure a "crazy scam," accusing the West of fighting a hybrid war against Belarus and Russia, ushering in a new era of barbed-wire division.