May 28, 2021
Austria on Thursday slammed Russia after it refused to allow an Austrian Airlines flight to be rerouted to avoid Belarusian airspace, resulting in the Vienna-Moscow service being canceled. Courtesy file photo
VIENNA Austria on Thursday slammed Russia after it refused to allow an Austrian Airlines flight to be rerouted to avoid Belarusian airspace, resulting in the Vienna-Moscow service being canceled. Based on a recommendation by the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Austrian Airlines has suspended flights through Belarusian airspace until further notice. For this reason, adjustments to the flight route from Vienna to Moscow are necessary, said Austrian Airlines spokesperson Leonhard Steinmann.
Airline Denied Entry Into Russia After Country Rejects Route Change Avoiding Belarus
On 5/27/21 at 2:54 PM EDT
Lufthansa s Austrian Airlines was forced to cancel a Thursday flight into Moscow after Russia denied its entry. The airline had tried to alter its scheduled route over Belarus, but Russia rejected the change.
Austrian Airlines planes. The company reported on Thursday a canceled flight after Russia denied its change of route.
Reuters
The European Union has urged airlines to avoid using the airspace over Russia s ally Belarus following Sunday s forced landing of a plane to arrest journalist Roman Pratasevich.
Austrian Airlines thus tried to avoid Belarusian airspace for Flight OS601 from Vienna to Moscow, but its proposed route change was refused by Russia, and Austrian Airlines canceled the flight.
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.
Russian diplomat cautions against attempts to politicize issue of Russia-Austria flights
According to Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky, regular flights between Russia and Austria have not been restored for now because of coronavirus restrictions, with a certain amount of charter flights carried out along agreed routes
VIENNA, May 27./TASS/. Politicizing the issue of flights between Russia and Austria is unacceptable, Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky said on Thursday, commenting on a statement from the Austrian Foreign Ministry regarding the refusal of the Russian side to issue permission to an Austrian Airlines flight to bypass Belarusian airspace en route from Vienna to Moscow on May 27.