Belavia threatens Russia with trial and ban on flights

“The air war” is getting serious.

On 13 April Belavia airplanes will stop flying to Russian regions (Yekaterinburg, Sankt-Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Sochi etc). In response, the Belarusian powers will cut down the number of flights of Russian airlines to Minsk from 4 to 2 per day, and will ban Aeroflot flights to Belarus. Moreover, Belavia is considering pressing charges against the Federal Russian Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia for rough violations of the intergovernmental agreement, Interfax-West reports.

”If the decision to ban Belavia from flying to Russian regions is taken, we might continue cutting down the number of flights between Minsk and Moscow. We are considering this possibility. It may be necessary to decrease the number of flights between Minsk and Moscow to 2 from each part. I believe that Belavia will operate our flights, and Sibir and YutAir will operate flights from the Russian part. Aeroflot will not operate flights anymore,” Igar Charginets, vice director of Belavia said today commenting on the yesterday’s decision of the Russian aviation authorities.

Russia’s decision followed the cut of the number of flights operated by Russian airlines from 5 to 4 per day, which was decided on unilaterally by the Belarusian part and communicated to Russia on 13 April. The Belarusian part’s decision was made despite the fact that the parties had previously taken a break in the air war until the 10 May to settle down the economic argument.

Charginets also said that Belavia is considering the possibility of pressing charges against Rosaviatsia.

”The withdrawal of our permit obtained from the Russian aviation authorities is a rough violation of the intergovernmental agreement on the air communication”, he said.

“According to the agreement, the permit can be withdrawn for the following violations: rough violation of flights security, no insurance and other. The actions of the Russian aviation authorities are illegal. We will consider pressing charges,” vice director of Belavia said.