[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Air France, a French airline, announced that it will suspend flights to Moscow until it receives approval for a detour route due to the suspension of Belarusian airspace usage. Following the forced landing incident of a passenger plane by Belarusian authorities, European airlines have successively announced the suspension of Belarusian airspace usage, and flights to Russia are also expected to be partially reduced for a while.
According to the Associated Press and major foreign media on the 26th (local time), Air France stated, "Flight AF1154 from Paris to Moscow has been canceled due to operational reasons related to detouring Belarusian airspace." It added, "The flight to Moscow scheduled for the 28th is planned to operate as scheduled after receiving approval from Russian authorities for the detour route." Air France is known to plan measures such as refunding tickets related to this flight cancellation.
This suspension of flights occurred after Belarusian authorities forced an Irish airline Ryanair passenger plane to land in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, using fighter jets to arrest an opposition figure on the 23rd. Following this incident, major European airlines decided to suspend the use of Belarusian airspace through statements.
The European Union (EU) urged all EU airlines to avoid flying over Belarusian airspace starting from the 24th, and Air France decided to detour Belarusian airspace following the EU's recommendation. France, the United Kingdom, and others also suspended the operating rights of Belarusian airline Belavia. Accordingly, Belavia flight 2869 from Minsk Airport to Barcelona returned after being notified by Poland that the aircraft could not enter French airspace.
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