Ryanair Plane Hijack Fury

[needawin]

I totally condemn the Ryanair hijacking incident and the manner of the unfortunate who was arrested.
All this bluff and bluster from Governments about reprisals and sanctions will come to nothing.
I worked in Belarus as a Humanitarian Aid worker, on and off for seven years and have travelled in and out of the country many times.
Just going through the passport control is a very unpleasant experience with an armed escort watching every move from just a meter away.
You are observed from you enter the country till you leave.
Belarus has a capital, Minsk, which would rank with any major city in the world. Travel in any direction for an hour and it's like going back 100 years.
How can you put sanctions on a landlocked country with borders shared with 5 other countries, one of which is Rússia. Try putting sanctions on Putin. Will not happen.

[dannyk13]

Link:-
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ryanair-diversion-hijack-minsk-belarus-b1852406.html

[Sunk]

Ryanair could stop all flights to Belarus - but won’t.
Ryanair could not fly over Belarus and detour over Polish airspace - but won’t.

The West could scream and scream until it is sick - this bill definitely happen, but bug8er all economically will be used to punish Belarus.

[youngmafbog]

Well first step is to stop flying in their airspace then.

[Sunk]

Ymb,
That won’t happen. Flying via Polish airspace will take more fuel so will cost Ryanair more money. Ryanair flies direct to Belarus, and they will not give up those routes because it will cost them money.

[ichkeria]

Ryanair doesn’t fly to Belarus (voluntarily).
One airline I believe has already decided to avoid Belarus airspace so I think there roll be serious repercussions over what us essentially a kidnapping and possible state assassination.
Looks like the pilot was trying to get to Lithuania ASAP when the fighter plane intervened.
Vilnius was the nearest airport at the time so the claims made by Belarus state media about w safe landing in Minsk are pure lies.

[Sunk]

ichkeria
Thanks for the correction. I did Google Ryanair flights from Stansted to Minsk and got a load of flights but looking more closely, they do not fly the final leg into Minsk.

The flight which was diverted ‘because of a bomb on board’ had to fly much further to Minsk. It would have been closer and safer to land at Vilnius, Lithuania, the original destination.

[Sunk]

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/65E2/production/_118628062_athens_flight_diverted_2x640-nc.png

[ToraToraTora]

I wonder what would have happened if the pilot just ignored the order to divert. Would they really have shot down a passenger jet? Not worth taking the chance of course but interesting.

[Sunk]

TTT
I expect there is clear instructions for civil aircraft flight crews to comply with requests from military jets. The Ryanair pilot would not have even considered disobeying the heavily armed MiG29 pilot.