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IATA calls for thorough probe into Ryanair plane incident in Minsk

24 May 2021 06:36 (UTC +04:00)

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for a thorough investigation of the incident with an Ryanair flight in Belarus.

"We strongly condemn any interference or requirement for landing of civil aviation operations that is inconsistent with the rules of international law. Details of the event with flight FR4978 are not clear. A full investigation by competent international authorities is needed," it wrote on its Twitter account.

A Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius made an emergency landing at Minsk’s airport on Sunday after a reported bomb threat. The plane landed safely. No bomb was found inside.

Roman Protasevich, a co-founder of the Nexta Telegram channel, which had been recognized as extremist in Belarus, was among the passengers. Protasevich, currently living in Lithuania, is wanted in Belarus. The man was detained after the plane’s landing in Minsk.