MINSK, 1 February (BelTA) – Western countries are not satisfied with conclusions drawn from the International Civil Aviation Organization's report on the incident with the Ryanair FR4978 flight incident, BelTA learned from Director of the Aviation Department of the Belarusian Transport and Communications Ministry Artyom Sikorsky.
Artyom Sikorsky said: “Yesterday the ICAO Council reviewed a report from the team in charge of investigating the facts that happened to Ryanair's aircraft in Belarus' air space on 23 May 2021. It is necessary to note that the report contains distinct statements saying that Belarus did not intercept the aircraft, did not force it land, and did not take actions to change the aircraft's course. The report also stipulates that the responsibility of individuals and countries for an act of illegal interference has not been ascertained.”
In his words, most of the members of the ICAO Council praised the high quality of preparation and analytics of the report. Yet the USA's representative mentioned alleged gaps in the information Belarus had provided. On the basis of these statements the ICAO Council suggested continuing the investigation of the circumstances of the incident. It is obvious that Western countries are not satisfied with the report's conclusions, Artyom Sikorsky said.
In turn, Belarus would like to point out that the report lacks data of crucial importance and cannot be used to fully evaluate what happened. In particular, there are no records of the aircraft's crew's internal communications, no records of talks between the pilot-in-command and the Vilnius air traffic control center, no records of talks between the pilot-in-command and Ryanair's flight control center, and no interview with the pilot about his decision to turn round the aircraft near the Lithuanian border and fly it to the Minsk National Airport.
“The Belarusian side has been closely interacting with the fact-finding team all the time. We've provided compete and exhaustive information about all the circumstances of the incident. The Belarusian side was highly open. In particular, the Investigative Committee provided materials of the criminal case to the fact-finding group. The Belarusian side will continue interacting with the fact-finding group in line with the ICAO Council's decision in order to determine all the circumstances of the incident,” the official concluded.
