MINSK, 14 June (BelTA) – No one is interested in the results of the Ryanair incident investigation except Belarus, Director of the Aviation Department of the Belarusian Transport and Communications Ministry Artyom Sikorsky told a briefing for the press in Minsk on 14 June, BelTA has learned.
“Without waiting even for the preliminary results of the ICAO investigation, the entire Europe, the avid advocate of the rule of law, has slipped into lawlessness, completely violating the international air law, creating instability and unpredictability in international aviation that are the main enemies of security. The worst thing is that for the time being they have not understood what they have done,” said Artyom Sikorsky. "What we see today is that nobody really needs the results of the investigation except Belarus."
BelTA reported earlier that an aircraft of the air carrier Ryanair was flying over Belarus on the way from Athens to Vilnius on 23 May. The aircraft sent a distress signal. The airport received the signal at 12:50. The FR4978 flight squawked code 7700 – it is the main emergency code, which signifies an emergency situation on board. A message about a bomb on board the aircraft was the reason for the distress call.
The pilot-in-command decided to divert the aircraft to the Minsk National Airport where the aircraft landed at 13:15. Emergency response teams of the airport, ambulances, aviation security personnel, and K9 specialists had already been waiting for the aircraft at the parking apron. Prompt security checks were made. Additional units of the Emergencies Ministry arrived. Representatives of law enforcement agencies worked on site.
There were 123 passengers on board. All of them went through an additional aviation security check and were delivered to the airport's transit lounge for investigation measures. The luggage was also removed from the aircraft and submitted to an additional security check. The tip about the bomb on board the aircraft proved false. The aircraft left the Minsk National Airport for Vilnius at 20:48.
