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Wizz Air Holdings PLC
WIZZ,
a European discount carrier, said it was rerouting a flight from Kyiv to Tallinn, Estonia, to avoid Belarusian airspace, amid rising alarm in the global aviation industry over the forced landing of a Ryanair Holdings PLC
RYAAY,
jet on Sunday.
Latvia’s flag carrier, AS Air Baltic Corp., has also said it would avoid entering Belarus airspace until the situation becomes clearer. “The safety and health of our passengers and employees is the main priority for the airline,” the company said in a statement.
Ryanair said Monday it would follow European aviation regulators’ advice on whether to avoid Belarus airspace. The Ireland-based airline’s chief executive called the diversion “a case of state-sponsored hijacking.”
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko scrambled a jet fighter Sunday to force a Ryanair commercial aircraft to land in Minsk, where a journalist and opposition activist was detained. The incident sparked an international outcry and raised questions over the legality of the plane’s grounding.
