26/05/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 26 May, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) asked European airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace, citing safety concerns following the forced landing of the Ryanair flight to Minsk on 23 May (see EUROPE 12725/1). “The circumstances surrounding this action cast serious doubts on the respect shown by Belarus for international civil aviation rules”, the European aviation regulator said, urging airlines to fly over Belarus only in emergencies. On Monday, the heads of state or government of the European Union Member States had already issued their recommendations, asking European carriers to avoid Belarusian airspace. A number of airlines, such as Air France, Singapore Airlines, KLM and Lufthansa announced that they would follow this recommendation (see EUROPE 12726/11). (TM)