The Latvian National Airlines AirBaltic will stop flying over Belorussia due to the incident with the landing of the Ryanair aircraft and the detention of the Creator forces of the Telegram channel NEXTA Roman Protasevich. This was stated by the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Talis Linkites on the air “Latvian Radio”.
According to him, the actions of Minsk with respect to the aircraft became an extraordinary situation that threatens to jeopardize the safety of flights in the country’s airspace as a whole. The minister stressed that the Latvian Civil Aviation Agency will soon make recommendations for carriers and urged passengers to follow the schedule of flights on the Riga Airport website.
Previously, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Lithuania opened a criminal case on the fact of the hijacking of the aircraft due to the situation with the Ryanair aircraft. Police began a pre-trial investigation, passengers and crew members were interviewed.
On May 23, the airline of the airline Ryanair, which followed the route Athens – Vilnius, made an emergency landing in Minsk after a ministerial dispatcher reported from Minsk airport dispatchers. To accompany the aircraft, the Fighter MiG-29 of the Air Force of Belarus was raised. Immediately after landing, Belarusian security forces detained on board Protasevich.
He is accused of creating extremist formation and calls to mass riots after the presidential election in August 2020. Protasevich noted a surveillance before departure from Athens Airport. In his homeland, he may be threatened to 15 years in prison. There were no explosive devices on board the aircraft.