MINSK, 8 January (BelTA) - Belavia will temporarily divert flights from the Iranian and Iraqi airspace over the Ukrainian plane crash in Tehran. The ban on Belarusian flights over the airspace of these states was issued by the Aviation Department at the Transport and Communications Ministry, director of the department Artem Sikorsky told BelTA.
“The ban will remain in place until all security issues are removed," he added. Belavia's press service noted that the company's only flight that goes over the airspace of Iran and Iraq is Minsk-Dubai. "This is a charter flight, which is operated once a week. The next flight is scheduled for 10 January," the press service said.
It was reported that the Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737 passenger plane carrying 167 passengers and 9 crew on board crashed early this morning shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. According to Iranian media, most of the victims were Iranian citizens. There were also nationals of other countries on board.
According to the Center for Communication and Information of Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the engine of the Ukrainian plane had caught fire just after take-off.
After the tragedy mass media reported that Ukraine stops flying over Iran until the cause of the crash is fully established. Many major airlines have also decided to divert flights over the airspace of Iraq and Iran.
