EU & NATO investigating Belarus for ‘Aviation Piracy’

EU safety and security agencies along with NATO are investigating whether Belarus forcing Ryanair flight FR4978 to divert to Minsk with a false bomb threat was an act of Aviation Piracy.

The incident happened on Sunday 23rd May when the flight from Athens to Vilnius was intercepted by Belarusian Fighter jets and the crew informed that a bomb was on board.

They forced the aircraft to land in Minsk where no bomb was found but a dissident Belarusian journalist was arrested.

In an updated statement, Ryanair said: Ryanair condemns the unlawful actions of the Belarusian authorities who diverted Ryanair flight FR4978 to Minsk, which was an act of aviation piracy.

“This is now being dealt with by EU safety and security agencies & NATO. Ryanair is full cooperating with them”

The EU followed the UK in banning Belarusian aircraft from European airspace and is imposing sanctions on individuals and business in Belarus.

The move, which was clearly set up in order to arrest the journalist, has drawn outrage from across the western world.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that Belarus’s act was “inconsistent with the rules of international law”

The International Civil Aviation Agency warned that Belarus may have contravened the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

About Nick Harding 2043 Articles
Nick is the senior reporter and editor at UK Aviation News as well as working freelance elsewhere. He has his finger firmly on the pulse on Aviation, not only in the UK but worldwide. Nick has been asked to speak in a professional capacity on LBC, Heart and other broadcast networks.