Lukashenko worries airlines

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 08/06/06

Threats from Belarus to close off airspace to EU flights have prompted the airline industry to begin contingency planning.

In a recent state-of-the-nation address, the Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko warned that a ban could be placed on western flights.

Flights from the US and Canada have already been affected as Belarus retaliated against the two countries' refusal to allow Prime Minister Sergei Sidorskiy to refuel en route from Cuba.

Now European aviation authorities and airlines representatives are concerned that Belarus will retaliate against EU plans to seize financial assets of some of the government's top officials.

The EU decided to freeze the assets of 36 senior Belarusian officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko, on 18 May.

Industry representatives have warned that any ban could have serious repercussions for the aviation sector.

It is estimated that the measure would affect a large proportion of the 350 flights which enter or leave European airspace from Belarus every day.

"It is a very dangerous precedent to set," said Anthony Concil from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). "It is a precedent that we don't need in this industry. Air transport is apolitical."

Airlines also expressed concern that the cost of operating flights, already increased by higher oil prices, could be affected by the move. If Belarus follows through with its threat, many European flights would have to be re-routed, causing longer flight times and possible congestion on other flight-paths.

"If it affects EU-Russia routes it will be a major nuisance. If it affects flights to the Far East that would be more serious," said David Henderson, of the Association of European Airlines, which represents 37 airlines across the continent.

"During the Kosovo crisis we had severe problem across some routes in avoiding parts of Yugoslav airspace which led to congestion and bottlenecks," he added.

Brian Flynn, a senior official at Eurocontrol, which manages air navigation for 36 European countries, said difficulties could be overcome, but not without some disruption.

"Alternative routes are available in flight information regions [zones with at least basic levels of air traffic control and alerting services] to the north and south, however, these involve significant deviations from normal routes," said Flynn.

"A significant portion of traffic from the east of the area under our control routes through the Minsk flight information region."

The measure could have a negative impact on Belarus's own flight control systems.

Air traffic services are paid for on a per-kilometre basis by airlines using them. US and Canadian aircraft, which account for a small fraction of the total overflights over Belarus, are estimated to be worth 150,000 euro each year.

Article reports that threats from Belarus to close off airspace to EU flights prompted the airline industry to begin contingency planning.
In a recent state-of-the-nation address, the Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko had warned that a ban could be placed on western flights.