MINSK, 24 May (BelTA) - Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko had personally given the order to land the Ryanair passenger jet following a bomb threat, BelTA learned from the Telegram channel Pul Pervogo.
The Belarusian leader also ordered to scramble a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the passenger plane. The fighter jet is now on stanby waiting for all the necessary security checks to be completed to escort the plane to the Lithuanian border.
The headline of the Telegram channel post reads as: “Belarus protects Europe. The Ryanair plane en route to Vilnius from Athens lands in Minsk”.
“Although the screenshot of the flight path shows that the plane was almost over the border, they still turned to Minsk and asked to receive the plane. The Belarusian president was immediately briefed on the situation. Aleksandr Lukashenko gave an command to u-turn the plane and land it in Minsk. In such a situation, the most important thing is the safety and lives of people!” Pul Pervogo said.
Pul Pervogo also noted that the plane was nearer to Vilnius but they turned for help to Minsk. "Turns out the dictator came in handy! Whatever the political situation, Belarus is definitely not one of those counties who refuses help a difficult situation (unlike the neighbors from the West). Especially when people's lives are at stake," the Telegram channel said.
As BelTA reported, a Ryanair plane urgently landed at Minsk National Airport. "The plane landed after a bomb alert. The pilots requested a landing at Minsk National Airport. The plane landed safely. At the moment bomb squads are working on site, luggage of passengers are being searched. It is difficult to say when the plane resumes its flight because checks, which are to be done in such cases, still continue," the press service of the airport said.
