Politics Ryanair Flight & Belarus

[rdhopkins2]

A Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius has been forced to land in Minsk, Belarus after a disturbance/ bomb threat.

The story is murky but on board was a dissident journalist,Roman Protasevich. Apparently there was a disturbance or threat on board supposedly made by KGB operatives, the plane was escorted whilst in Belarusian airspace to Minsk by fighter aircraft.

Protasevich was arrested in Minsk and the 4 KGB agents did not reboard the flight. Protasevich may face the death penalty in Belarus.

If this is all true, this is a major international issue with a country effectively hijacking a civilian passenger aircraft for their own political agenda.
Truly shocking.

Two minutes from the border, a commercial jet was 'hijacked' to deliver a political activist to his foes

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko is accused of "state terrorism" by Poland's Prime Minister after a Ryanair flight is escorted to land in Minsk and an "activist" arrested, allegedly on his orders.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Kurve]

The world seems to be in shock over this. They took a Ryanair jet whose headquarters is based in Dublin with operational bases in London and whose sister airlines are Ryanair UK, Buzz and Malta.

Belarus is independent but can't imagine the Kremlin would be agreeable, is Putin on his deathbed?

 

[Kurve]

Yeh, it's a shocker. The Saudis are out of control but even they wouldn't hijack a plane full of travellers, when they kidnap their dissidents they do it on the lowdown and use their own jets.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

my worry for this is if this sets a precedent. who needs to wait for extradition orders when you can just hijack a plane

 

[Kurve]

my worry for this is if this sets a precedent. who needs to wait for extradition orders when you can just hijack a plane

Agree, there must be serious consequences. What that might be though, I have no idea.

 

[rdhopkins2]

Could perhaps see the EU ban Belarusian registered or owned aircraft from its skies for a period of time? Quite an extreme sanction considering the added on business, personal travel and trade. Then again perhaps Belarus deals more with the Eastern European countries and Russia and it wouldn’t have that large an impact?

Agree, there must be serious consequences. What that might be though, I have no idea.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Could perhaps see the EU ban Belarusian registered or owned aircraft from its skies for a period of time? Quite an extreme sanction considering the added on business, personal travel and trade. Then again perhaps Belarus deals more with the Eastern European countries and Russia and it wouldn’t have that large an impact?

Thats not the issue. The action would be having to ban all EU planes flying in Belarus airspace.

even that wont mean anything depending upon how the rumour of a team being on board who forced the plane down pans out (not confirmed, and still rumour only)

 

[Kurve]

Here we go.

 

[Leeda]

The world seems to be in shock over this. They took a Ryanair jet whose headquarters is based in Dublin with operational bases in London and whose sister airlines are Ryanair UK, Buzz and Malta.

Belarus is independent but can't imagine the Kremlin would be agreeable, is Putin on his deathbed?

Damn fine porto bello

 

[spinynorman]

This is precisely what the EU and US did in 2013 when they grounded a Bolivian plane with President Morales to search the flight for Edward Snowden. The outrage from the West is hypocritical, they pioneered this illegal and dangerous act, but of course will never self-reflect or be held to account in the way that smaller nations can be.

 

[Leeda]

This is precisely what the EU and US did in 2013 when they grounded a Bolivian plane with President Morales to search the flight for Edward Snowden. The outrage from the West is hypocritical, they pioneered this illegal and dangerous act, but of course will never self-reflect or be held to account in the way that smaller nations can be.

You don’t know your born
callow be thy name

 

[rank and file]

Good rendition of "Leaving on a Jet Plane"

 

[Zidane98]

In the Bolivian version they were free to land their plane where they liked and weren't forced by a fighter jet to land somewhere they did not choose to. So not exactly the same by a long shot.

 

[Gough]

 

[Zidane98]

The ATC call is out there. The controller tells the Ryanair flight that theres a bomb on board reported "that can be activated over Vilnius". Super dodgy and then they ask the pilot what he wants to do - he obviously diverts to Belarus because hes been told the bomb can be activated above Vilnius.

 

[rank and file]

Is that meant to be scary?

 

[Leeda]

Is that meant to be scary?

God damn Bally Russians ....damn unct ous ..yeah slowdown