'Forced Landing of Passenger Plane' Interpreted as Retaliation for Sanctions on Belarus
ICAO Begins Investigation... Belarus Faces Risk of Expulsion from International Aviation Convention
UK, France, Poland, and 6 Other European Countries Ban Belarus Passenger Planes from Their Airspace
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Russia, which maintains close ties with Belarus, has sparked controversy by refusing to allow French and Austrian airlines to operate flights to Moscow. Following the forced landing incident of a Belarusian passenger plane, European countries imposed retaliatory measures such as banning Belarusian airlines from entering regional airspace, and with Russia’s involvement, the Belarus situation appears to be escalating into a conflict between Europe and Russia.
According to The Guardian on the 27th (local time), Russian aviation authorities refused to allow Austrian Airlines’ route from Vienna, Austria to Moscow, Russia, effectively halting the route’s operation. This is the second refusal following the Russian government’s suspension of Air France’s Paris-to-Moscow route the previous day.
Earlier, these airlines had submitted new Moscow-bound routes avoiding Belarusian airspace to Russian authorities for approval, following recommendations from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) after the forced landing incident. However, Russian authorities rejected the proposed route changes, effectively denying permission to operate the routes.
This move is interpreted as Russia’s response to the European countries’ sanctions against their ally Belarus, which are showing signs of intensifying, by suspending European airlines’ route operations.
The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move “an incomprehensible act” and urged Russia to revoke the suspension of the route operations.
On the other hand, Russia denies that this issue is related to retaliation against Belarus sanctions. A spokesperson for the Russian presidential office stated, “The presidential office does not have the authority to intervene in airline operations,” asserting that the decision was voluntarily made by aviation authorities.
However, route modification proposals from British Airways of the UK and KLM of the Netherlands for flights to Moscow have been accepted, and these flights continue to operate.
Attention is focused on how long Russian authorities will maintain these route suspensions. The Guardian reported, “If Russia’s retaliatory measures show signs of prolongation, European countries may respond with additional retaliation, such as suspending route operations of Russian airlines.”
ICAO Launches Investigation into Belarus Forced Landing Incident
International investigations into the Belarus forced landing incident are also showing signs of intensifying. On the same day, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) decided to promptly pursue an investigation into the matter. In a statement issued immediately after the ICAO Board meeting, it was explained that “the forced landing is evident” and “it is important to verify whether there was any violation of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and its annexes, as well as international aviation law.”
The Chicago Convention recognizes the exclusive sovereignty of each country over its airspace but prohibits acts that threaten flight safety. If ICAO’s investigation concludes that Belarus violated this convention, Belarus could be expelled from the convention, which would significantly increase the likelihood of Belarus becoming an international aviation pariah, a “pariah state” without recognized sovereignty under international aviation law.
Immediately after the ICAO meeting, Ireland’s Minister of Transport strongly criticized the incident, calling it “an unacceptable attack on European aviation security” and stating that it “put the lives of European passengers at risk.” Ireland is one of the parties involved in the incident, as the forcibly landed passenger plane was operated by Ryanair, an Irish airline.
Meanwhile, following the forced landing incident of the Belarusian passenger plane, the number of countries banning Belarusian airlines from entering European airspace is increasing. According to foreign media, nine countries including the UK, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Ukraine, and Poland have so far banned Belarusian airline Belavia’s passenger planes from flying through their airspace.
On the 26th (local time), a Belavia Airlines passenger plane of Belarusian nationality, departing from Minsk, Belarus, en route to Barcelona, Spain, was continuously circling near the Polish border. This occurred because Polish authorities prohibited Belavia Airlines from entering their airspace. As a result, the passenger plane, unable to pass through Polish airspace, returned to Minsk. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
Earlier, on the 23rd, Belarusian authorities forcibly landed an Irish Ryanair passenger plane operating the Athens, Greece to Vilnius, Lithuania route at Minsk airport, the capital of Belarus. Belarus claimed that the emergency landing was due to a report that Hamas had planted a bomb on the plane.
Immediately after the emergency landing, authorities arrested Belarusian opposition activist Pratasevich and his girlfriend Sofiya Sapega, who were on board the plane. The international community condemned Belarus for hijacking the passenger plane to detain them. Subsequently, the EU held an emergency meeting on the 24th and resolved to implement broad sanctions, including banning Belarusian airlines from entering regional airspace.
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