EU bans Belarusian airlines from its airspace after journalist’s arrest

The EU will seal off its skies and runways to Belarusian airlines as of Saturday in response to the forced diversion of a Ryanair flight and detention of a dissident journalist and his girlfriend last month. The 27 countries are obliged “to deny permission to land in, take off from or overfly their territories to any aircraft operated by Belarusian air carriers”, the bloc announced on Friday after member states envoys in Brussels formally signed off the move. Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega were on board a commercial flight between EU countries Greece and Lithuania that was diverted to Minsk soon before it reached Vilnius after an alleged bomb threat. No bomb was found, but both were detained. The bloc slammed the act as an affront to both air safety and freedom of the press. The EU has also called on all EU-based carriers to avoid flying over Belarusian territory. The IATA condemned Minsk's behaviour but also criticised the EU. “Two wrongs do not make a right. Politics should never interfere with the safe operation of aircraft and politicians should never use aviation safety as a cover to pursue political or diplomatic agendas,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s DG.<br/>