Official Closure Of EU Skies For Belarusian Carriers Enters Into Force On Saturday

Belarusian airlines on Saturday are officially barred from flying over the European Union and using its airports, following the publication of the relevant decision by the EU Council

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2021) Belarusian airlines on Saturday are officially barred from flying over the European Union and using its airports, following the publication of the relevant decision by the EU Council.

The ban for any Belarusian-flagged aircraft to land, take off, and fly over the EU came into effect on midnight (22:00 GMT Friday).

The ban does not concern humanitarian flights, as well as emergency landings and emergency flights.

The closure of the EU skies for Belarusian flights is the first measure officially approved by Brussels against Minsk regarding the May 23 Ryanair flight incident, when a plane traveling from Athens to Vilnius was grounded in Minsk over a bomb threat flagged by the Belarusian authorities, which turned out to be fake.

Upon the landing, one of the passengers, journalist Roman Protasevich, who is known to be the founder of Belarusian opposition Telegram channel Nexta, was detained along with Russian national Sofia Sapega. The incident prompted an outcry from the West.

The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation told Sputnik on Friday that the number of airlines using the Belarusian airspace for flights to and through the European Union dropped by 40% after the Ryanair incident, from 420 to 253 flights daily. Planes flying over Belarus are mostly operated by non-EU airlines, according to the organization.