Finland's Finnair Also Suspends Use of Belarus Airspace

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] Finnish airline Finnair announced on the 25th (local time) that it will suspend the use of Belarusian airspace.

This follows the recent forced landing of a Ryanair passenger plane, operated by the Irish airline, by Belarusian authorities to arrest an opposition figure. Several European airlines have already announced similar measures.

Earlier, the heads of EU member states urged all EU airlines to avoid flying through Belarusian airspace.

For Finnair, this decision will affect three flights per week.

Swedish transport authorities also urged their national airlines the day before to consider avoiding Belarusian airspace.

Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, a former Soviet state, forced a Ryanair passenger plane traveling from Athens, Greece to Vilnius, Lithuania, carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich, to land at Minsk airport, the capital of Belarus, on the 23rd, deploying fighter jets.

Belarus claimed that the passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to a reported terrorist threat.

However, international criticism surged as Pratasevich was arrested at Minsk airport immediately after the landing, with accusations that Belarusian authorities hijacked the plane to detain him.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.