Airspace over Belarus is emptying of planes – news (ICOT)

Belarusian airspace is slowly being emptied of aircraft. Air France, Finnair, Singapore Airlines, Polish LOT, Lufthansa, etc. are spreading announcements that they will take their role in Belarus. Yesterday, the Swedish authorities recommended, even before European Union leaders made a decision, to avoid flying over Minsk.

Now comes British Airways To avoid the Belarusian airspace. Ukraine will completely ban flights to and from the neighboring country and will also ban passengers from Belarus from crossing Ukrainian airports. How strong this flywall to be built is still a bit unclear. Avoiding Belarusian airspace, for example, is difficult if, according to schedule, it is landing in Minsk.

I spoke to German Lufthansa this morning and they said they were starting to avoid the airspace. But they are still debating whether to stop regular flights to Minsk, and a decision will be made before the plane takes off tomorrow.

State controlled Belavia I landed anyway as usual this morning in Arlanda in Stockholm. Before that trip ends, a formal decision must be made.
In any case, trains will still go back and forth to Minsk, especially to Moscow, but these trains are pretty slow, no matter the luxury.

The forced landing and arrest of Raman Pratasevi has left clear consequences, for which there is a clear logic. The airspace over Belarus has proven practically unsafe, for the opposition as well as for citizens of the European Union, even in the sky that awaits the Belarusian KGB.

But how empty the airspace is The canceled flights would weaken the dictatorship and boost democracy in Belarus. It still appears as something mysterious, like a foggy autumn sky.

Jisper Lindau, Russia Correspondent, [email protected]