Aviation
Commercial /
Europe
About the RYR-4978 flight
IFALPA and ECA issue a note regarding the diverted flight in Belarus
Boeing 737-800 da Ryanair
Bene Riobó, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rafael Ramos
5/28/2021
The International Federation of Airline Pilot Associations (IFALPA) and the European Cockpit Association (ECA) issued a statement about the Ryanair flight that was intercepted on Sunday by local air force aircraft and forced to land.
Ryanair flight 4978 had about 170 passengers on board, being a journalist critical of the government, who was arrested after the plane landed.
Boeing 737 da Ryanair
Domínio Público
President Lukashenko says the plane was intercepted by a bomb threat on board. The political opposition claims that the diversion was intended to arrest the journalist. The event, however, must be investigated to be clarified. Meanwhile, airlines divert their routes that would pass through the country's air territory.
Check out the note released on the 24th in full:
IFALPA and ECA fully share the concerns expressed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding the forced landing of Ryanair flight 4978 in Minsk, Belarus, on May 23.
Pilots are concerned that the Belarusian Air Force intervention was enacted for political reasons, in violation of the Chicago Convention, and amounts to an act of illegal interference, with all state-sponsored kidnapping marks.
We request an independent investigation into this incident and an appropriate immediate response from the authorities. This unprecedented act of illegal interference will potentially dispel all assumptions about the safest response to in-flight bomb threats and interceptions. Without reliable information from states and air navigation service providers, dealing with these types of events becomes much more risky to manage.
IFALPA and ECA emphasize that the pilot in command always has the best overview of the real situation on board and must be able to react with the level of risk, regardless of external circumstances. Any measures taken by States to deal with a specific threat should increase the crew's ability to fully assess the situation.
Any military intervention against a civil aircraft is an intentional danger to the safety of passengers and crew. IFALPA and ECA urge States and the International Aviation Community to investigate and take swift action against similar events. We also ask the airline to provide full support to pilots and cabin crew, both during the investigation and in relation to their physical and mental well-being after such a challenging and stressful event.
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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