Belarus airline scraps flights amid EU freeze-out

Belarusian national carrier Belavia cancelled flights to eight countries on Thursday, as more EU states applied airspace restrictions in response to the forced landing of a passenger jet in Minsk. The tightening restrictions on Belarus came as its main ally Russia denied access to a second European carrier seeking to skirt Belarus en route to Moscow. Belavia announced the cancellations “due to flight bans from a number of countries”, after neighbouring Poland joined a growing list of territories that have barred it from flying over them, making more routes unviable. “We regret that our passengers have to face this situation for reasons beyond the airline’s control,” Belavia said as it scrapped flights to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hanover, Kaliningrad, Milan, Munich, Rome, Vienna and Warsaw until Oct. 30.<br/>