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DUBLIN — Belarus’ forced landing of a Ryanair passenger jet in Minsk was “a state-sponsored hijacking” apparently directed by KGB agents, said Michael O’Leary, the airline group’s CEO.
“This is a case of state-sponsored hijacking, state-sponsored piracy,” O’Leary told POLITICO in a phone interview. “Our crew did a phenomenal job to get that aircraft and almost all the passengers out of Minsk after six hours.”
O’Leary confirmed that the Belarusians’ target was journalist Roman Protasevich.
“It was clear that the intent of the Belarusian authorities was to remove a journalist and his traveling companion. We believe some KGB agents were offloaded from the aircraft as well,” he said, referring to the Belarusian state security services that still go by their Soviet-era name.
O’Leary said the airline had been instructed by European security authorities not to describe the event in detail pending their own investigations. He said Ryanair’s initial statement Sunday night stuck to basic facts because the aircraft had just landed in Vilnius.
“We have to do a detailed debrief today with the NATO and EU authorities,” O’Leary said. “It was extremely frightening for our crew and passengers. They were held under armed guard and had their bags searched.”
Ryanair may temporarily divert its Athens-Vilnius services from Belarusian to Polish airspace. This would add about a half-hour to the three-hour trip.
Ryanair’s round-trip service operates twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays. The flight currently goes through the airspace of Belarus, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria to reach Greece. It’s the only direct service connecting Athens and Vilnius.
“This is an option. It will depend on what the EU and others involved in ongoing consultations determine would be the best course of action given the circumstances,” said an airline spokesperson.
Air Baltic is already avoiding Belarusian airspace on flights from Latvia to Ukraine and Georgia.
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