MINSK, 3 November (BelTA) – Belarus plans to file lawsuits in international courts over the losses caused by the sanctions, Director of the Aviation Department of the Belarusian Transport and Communications Ministry Artyom Sikorsky told a press conference in Minsk on 3 November, BelTA has learned.
“The sanctions have been imposed only against the Belarusian air traffic control enterprise Belaeronavigatsia. There are currently no direct sanctions against Belavia or Minsk National Airport. The losses that are associated with the need to overfly and also the lost profits from the ill-conceived actions of our European partners are monetized. In due course, we will file corresponding lawsuits,” Artyom Sikorsky noted.
According to him, the European Aviation Safety Agency has banned the admission of Belarusian aircraft in Europe. "This directly contradicts the Chicago Convention, in particular Article 11, which clearly states that there can be no discrimination on the basis of nationality. But it is on these grounds that Belarusian air carriers are denied maintenance in European airports, while European airlines are strongly advised against flying over the territory of Belarus and are prohibited to use its airspace,” he stressed.
According to the director of the department, Belarus' civil aviation estimates its lost profits at $10 million per month over the European sanctions.
According to Artyom Sikorsky, Minsk National Airport and Belaeronavigatsia also suffered losses because of the sanctions. “We can monetize the losses as the traffic has dropped. We have been able to minimize losses by redirecting the flows and attracting companies to Minsk National Airport. We have lost a certain amount of flight traffic, 25% to be exact generated by European companies. We have been able, however, to keep Belaeronavigatsia in the black by increasing flights from the eastern and southern destinations,” he said.
