Europe is suffering from its own air boycott of Belarus
The chief executive of the Hungarian airline Wizz Air, Josef Varadi, criticized the EU for banning flights over Belarus in response to the forced landing of a passenger plane, saying that such actions turn aviation “into a political toy.”
This was reported by the Reuters agency, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I don't think that's the right answer. I don't think airpower should be used as a tool for political sanctions. Nothing happened that could jeopardize flight safety. I don't think anyone was in danger for a second. This is a political measure. This is not a security measure,” Verady said.
Such sanctions, in his opinion, could undermine the global aviation industry, which is already struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is probably the biggest shock since World War II, and industry is dealing with it, but it should not become a plaything for politics,” Verady stressed.
The air boycott of Belarus, announced by the EU due to the arrest of extremist Roman Protasevich in Minsk, continues to create problems for flights in the Old World. Today, the German airline Lufthansa has canceled flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Frankfurt and back.
Changes in the schedule are due to “failure to obtain permission from the air authorities.” Immediately after the announcement of the air boycott, Russia no longer allowed European airlines to fly into its territory through Ukraine.
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