The pilot flying the RyanAir plane that made an emergency diversion to Belarus says he had ‘no choice’

While Belarus denies it was a forced landing, the RyanAir crew onboard disagree. They say they were warned that if the aircraft entered Lithuanian air space “a bomb on board would be detonated”.

The head pilot says the incident was “a premeditated breach” of global aviation rules.

When trying to contact the airline for clarification, Belarusian authorities told him that “Ryanair in Poland were not answering the phone”.

Belarus ‘forces’ flight diversion, sparking international outrage

Belarusian actors diverted the flight from Greece. There, authorities boarded the aircraft and arrested an anti-government activist and journalist Roman Prota-sevich. They also arrested his girlfriend, who was onboard the flight as well.

Journalist Roman Protasevich was living in exile from Belarus. He is a vocal critic of the country’s President and his regime.

The Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed they had detained the activist at Minsk’s airport, the nation’s main international hub.

In a statement, Ryanair said Belarus air traffic control informed staff of a “potential security threat onboard” and ordered them to make an emergency landing.