European Union ambassadors on Friday adopted a plan to ban Belarus carriers from flying over EU territory or landing in EU airports, three diplomats said, as the country’s exiled opposition leader called for more joint Western sanctions.This was announced by a journalist Ricard Jozwiak on his Twitter.
The EU decision is part of planned punitive measures against Belarus in response to Minsk’s scrambling a warplane to force the landing on May 23 of a Ryanair flight carrying an opposition journalist, who was then arrested.
The move is due to take effect at midnight Central European Time (2200 GMT), barring any last-minute objections by EU member states before a self-imposed deadline of 1400 CET, which are not expected, the diplomats said.
Jozwiak noted that the ban will officially come into force on June 5.
“EU ambs have given green light to the ban on any aircraft operated by Belarusian carriers to land at EU airports. writter procedure ends this afternoon. Should enter into force at midnight. #Belarus,” he tweeted.
The EU also strongly recommends that EU airlines avoid flying over Belarus, but that does not amount to a legally binding ban. On Wednesday, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a safety directive saying all EU aircraft should not fly over Belarus air space unless in an emergency.
Belarusian national carrier Belavia runs flights linking Belarus with some 20 airports in Europe including Helsinki, Amsterdam, Milan, Warsaw, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Paris, Rome and Vienna.