Riga  - A Russian pop singers' contest in the Latvian resort of Jurmala caused two international flights to be diverted to neighbouring countries, the Latvian daily Diena reported Thursday.

An aerobatic display performed to mark the beginning of the Jurmala New Wave song contest on Tuesday night caused two incoming flights operated by the airBaltic airline to be diverted.

A flight from Munich ended up in Tallinn, Estonia, while another from Kiev was sent to Vilnius in Lithuania.

Maris Gorodcovs, head of the national Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) was at a loss to explain the mix-up.

"I cannot say now why it happened. An investigative commission will be set up, and will compile a report," he said.

A spokesman for airBaltic told the German Press Agency dpa that 243 passengers had been inconvenienced and that the airline "deeply regretted" the incident but was compensating passengers and looked forward to reading the CAA's report.

The incident will prove doubly embarrassing as Riga airport director Krisjanis Peters was among the VIPs enjoying the spectacular opening ceremony from the ground.

Every year in late July and early August, Jurmala plays host to the glitzy song contest which is a brash Russian-language extravaganza complete with champagne-soaked parties and luxury yachts moored off the coast.

The contest showcases aspiring pop singers mainly from across the former Soviet Union hoping to catch the eye of Russian pop moguls, along with a smattering of Soviet-era stars such as Alla Pugacheva.

Many Latvians resent the influx of rich Russians as an unwanted reminder of the days when they were dominated by their large neighbour, but Jurmala council says the event brings money into the local economy.

The event caused controversy last year when a compere mocked the Latvian national anthem while Latvian President Valdis Zatlers was sitting in the audience. (dpa)