Meanwhile, an Air France flight from Paris to Moscow on Friday was cancelled due to a lack of clearance from Russia for a change of route to avoid Belarusian airspace.
In a statement, the airline said: Air France confirms the cancellation of flight AF1154 for operational reasons linked to the bypassing of Belarusian airspace requiring a new authorisation from the Russian authorities to enter their territory.
The moves are the latest fallout from what Western nations have called hijacking and piracy by Russia’s ally Belarus on Sunday, which forced a Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight from Greece to land in Minsk, where a Belarusian dissident journalist on board was arrested.
By Reuters Staff
(Adds Austrian Foreign Ministry statement, detail)
FRANKFURT, May 27 (Reuters) - Lufthansa’s Austrian Airlines said on Thursday it had to cancel a flight to Moscow from Vienna after not getting permission from Russian authorities for an alternative route following the suspension of flights through Belarusian airspace.
The move is the latest fallout from what Western nations have called hijacking and piracy by Russia’s ally Belarus on Sunday, which forced a Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight from Greece to land in Minsk, where a Belarusian dissident journalist on board was arrested.
In response, the European Union has urged its airlines to avoid Belarus and its airspace, but Russia has reacted by denying such carriers permission to fly to Russia, as with a Paris-Moscow Air France flight that was cancelled on Wednesday.
EU stops Belarusian passenger jet from flying over bloc The Russian authorities have not given us this permission, the spokeswoman was quoted as saying in the Russian-language report.
Austria s Foreign Ministry said Moscow s stance was absolutely incomprehensible to us and slammed the ban as a disproportionate response.
Vienna called on Moscow to clarify its position and added that all flights over and to Russia should be able to continue without problems.
Earlier, AirFrance also reported canceled flights to the Russian capital.
EU foreign ministers mull sanctions
Also on Thursday, EU foreign ministers in Lisbon vowed to continue to increase pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven called for the immediate and unconditional release of Pratasevich.
Middle East Near You Austria flies flag of Israel in support of Gaza attack; Iran s Zarif cancels visit to Vienna
Israeli flag is hoisted on the roof of Austria’s chancellery building amid attacks on Palestine by the Israeli forces, on May 14, 2021 in Vienna, Austria [Aşkın Kıyağan / Anadolu Agency] May 15, 2021 at 6:51 pm
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif scrapped his previously scheduled visit to Austria on Saturday in protest against Vienna s open support for Israeli aggression on Palestine, reported
Anadolu Agency.
Zarif, who is presently on a European tour, was expected to arrive in Vienna on Saturday from Madrid, but there was a last-minute change in his itinerary.