Ryanair asks Belarusian authorities to guarantee “no repeat of plane diversion”

January 31, BPN. The Irish airline Ryanair asks Belarusian authorities to guarantee “no repeat of plane diversion” (as it was the case of forced landing in May 2021 – BPN).

According to Reuters, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said on January 31 that it was “fundamental to the future of air travel that we do not have a repetition of what in my mind was the first case since the Chicago Convention (1944) of a state sponsored act of international piracy.” “There should be no overflight of Belarus unless appropriate guarantees are obtained that this won’t recur,” the head of Ryanair said.

On May 23, 2021, a Boeing 737 of the Irish airline Ryanair en route from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land at the Minsk airport. Opposition activist Raman Pratasievič and his girlfriend Safija Sapieha were on board, both were detained are now under house arrest, Sapieha is awaiting trial.

Ryanair CEO described the incident as “a deliberate hijacking of the aircraft on the orders of the Belarusian authorities.” Representatives of many countries are convinced that the flight was forcibly landed. Official Minsk denies the charges.