Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 December 2025
145. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport the actions which have been taken or are anticipated against Belarus in relation to an aircraft (details supplied) that was grounded in Minsk in May 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72723/25]
View answerRyanair Flight FR4978 from Athens International Airport, Greece, to Vilnius Airport, Lithuania was forced by Belarusian air traffic control to land in Belarus on 23 May 2021. The Ryanair flight was a regular scheduled route operated by Ryanair’s subsidiary Buzz, which is licensed in Poland. The aircraft was registered in Poland.
The reason for the forced landing was due to alleged claims of a bomb on board the aircraft. Upon landing in Belarus two passengers on board, journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, were arrested by authorities.
On 24 and 25 May 2021, the European Council adopted conclusions in which it strongly condemned the forced landing of the flight, endangering aviation safety, as well as condemning the detention by Belarusian authorities of Roman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega. Following these conclusions the Council adopted additional listings of persons and entities to the restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus. In June 2021, Regulation (EC) 765 of 2006 was amended to prohibit any aircraft operated by Belarusian air carriers to land in, take off from or overfly the territory of the European Union. On 24 May that year the EU Aviation Safety Agency issued a safety directive formally halting European airlines from flying in Belarusian airspace. Criminal investigations were also initiated by the Polish and Lithuanian authorities.
The Council of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is a United Nations body responsible for the safety of global aviation, established a Fact-Finding Investigation Team (FFIT) to investigate the events. The FFIT were charged with establishing the facts of what happened and understanding whether there had been any breach by any ICAO Member State of international aviation law, including the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) and its annexes.
In January 2022, the FFIT published its report which concluded that the bomb threat was deliberately false and further noted that the FFIT was not provided with all information by Belarus for the purpose of its investigation. In August 2022, the ICAO Council approved a draft paper for submission to the 41st ICAO Assembly which took place in October that year. At the Assembly, the findings of the ICAO FFIT Report were endorsed and the Assembly condemned the actions of Belarus. The Assembly also requested the ICAO Council to remain seized of the matter and to report back to Assembly as appropriate. The President of the ICAO Council also sent the FFIT report and the text of the Assembly Decisions to the UN Secretary General on 12 August 2022. Belarus was requested to address the FFIT findings but has thus far rejected the report findings.
