ICAO fact-finding investigation into Ryanair aircraft reveals serious violations and will continue. Lithuania welcomes this step
Following the decision of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Monday to extend the investigation into the forced landing of Ryanair in Minsk (Belarus), Lithuania welcomes this step and expects ICAO to assess additional information received from Poland on the air traffic controller testimony and update the report.
At the meeting, the ICAO Council confirmed many of the violations identified in the report, but emphasised that the investigation could not be completed until the team of investigators had assessed the additional information from the Polish prosecutor’s office received a few weeks ago.
After evaluating the findings of the investigators’ report, the ICAO Council found that the false danger of explosion in the aircraft was caused deliberately, and pointed out that providing incorrect information that endangered the safety of the aircraft in flight was in violation of the Montreal Convention and strongly condemned it.
“The facts presented in the report clearly show that the Belarusian regime organised a forced landing of a civilian plane with the aim of arresting the opposition journalist Roman Pratasevich. This is an obvious violation of international air law, as well as a threat to the safety and security of international civil aviation,” stated Marius Skuodis, the Minister of Transport and Communications.
According to the information provided by the Lithuanian authorities to the ICAO team of investigators, Minsk Airport received an e-mail about the explosive on the plane later than this information was notified to the pilot. The Belarusian officials communicating with the aircraft said that threatening e-mails about the explosive had been sent to other airports, but it is not known where they might have obtained information about the other e-mails. In addition, according to the report, the staff of Minsk Airport did not follow the rules laid down for such cases, and after the landing failed give the necessary priority to passenger safety.
Last but not least, the report makes it clear that the Belarusian authorities have not provided the ICAO team of investigators with objective data to support their actions. This was also taken into account by the ICAO Council, which expressed concern about the inconsistency of the information and evidence provided by Belarus, in particular with regard to the reconstruction of the major events, and requested that the ICAO investigation be extended until all relevant information was properly assessed.
The most important fact of the new information is the additional information from Poland provided to the ICAO team of investigators, which contains the records made by the Minsk air traffic controller from the tower of the air traffic control centre, proving that the Belarusian authorities knew that there were no explosives on the plane. These are the testimonies from the same Minsk airport official who the ICAO team of investigators was unable to question during their visit to Belarus.
According to the testimony and video footage, there were unauthorised persons present in the air traffic control tower of Minsk Airport who gave instructions to the airport staff regarding the flight of the Ryanair aircraft.
The available data suggest that the Chicago Convention was also violated, with the civilian aircraft being deliberately directed and forced to land for reasons other than safety unrelated, i.e., the civil aircraft was used for purposes incompatible with the Chicago Convention.
“During the fact-finding investigation, the ICAO team of investigators was unable to assess the essential facts because the information was either withheld from them or presented in a way that could not be verified. “It is clear that Belarusian airspace is not safe for civilian flights because it is not governed by the peaceful civilian principles enshrined in the Chicago Convention,” concluded the Minister.
After the incident in May, the ICAO, uniting 193 countries, took into account the investigation started by Lithuania and other countries to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
Lithuania ensured full cooperation with the team of investigators and provided all the necessary information for the investigation.
Last updated: 01-02-2022
Related news:
Production of Rail Baltica turnouts begins in Lithuania: first delivery this autumn
LTG Infra Terminates Contract with Neris Bridge Contractor Rizzani de Eccher
Rail level crossing in Kaunas to be replaced with a road underpass
Minister Taminskas calls for EU investment in drone detection systems