VILNIUS, Oct 5 (Bernama-dpa) -- Air traffic at Lithuania's Vilnius Airport was temporarily halted late on Saturday following the sighting of suspected hot air balloons, German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing the airport authority.
"The airspace over Vilnius Airport is closed until 04.30 [0130 GMT]," the airport said on its website. Flights bound for Vilnius were diverted to Latvia and Poland.
According to the news portal Lrytas, the balloons were first spotted around 10.16 pm, prompting a temporary suspension of flight operations for safety reasons.
The origin of the airborne objects remains unclear. Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre referred to the objects as "smuggling balloons," without providing further details.
Just weeks ago, Vilnius Airport temporarily halted flights after drones were spotted in the area. European air traffic has been repeatedly disrupted in recent weeks by drone sightings and airspace violations, most recently at Munich Airport.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
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