Ryanair urges Belarus to guarantee planes will never be diverted as it prepares for Ukraine ramp up
Low-cost carrier Ryanair has urged Belarus to guarantee that it will never divert a plane again, after one its planes was forced to land in Minsk in May.
“I think it is fundamental to the future of air travel that we do not have a repetition of what in my mind was the first case since the Chicago Convention 1945 of a state sponsored act of international piracy,” Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary said this morning while commenting on the airline’s third quarter results. “There should be no overflight of Belarus unless appropriate guarantees are obtained that this won’t recur.”
O’Leary’s comments come on the same day the airline announced it could open a few bases in Ukraine, basing up to 20 planes if Russia doesn’t invade the country.
“We remain committed to Ukraine. As long as Ukraine is looking westward there are huge flows of people travelling to and from Ukraine working in central and eastern Europe,” he said. “If it is not invaded by Russia, it is a country where we would expect to open a couple of bases some time in the next two or three years subject to agreements on costs.
“We hope the situation in Ukraine gets resolved diplomatically. And if it is, it remains a very exciting growth opportunity for us.”
Ryanair this morning posted €96m worth of losses for the third quarter, as a result of a slump in bookings due to Omicron and travel restrictions.