International aviation industry roiled by Belarus jet diversion

Aviation experts say a decades-old system of cooperation now faces a crucial test under the glare of East-West tensions.

Global aviation faces its biggest political crisis in years after Belarus scrambled a fighter jet and flagged what turned out to be a false bomb alert to detain a dissident journalist, prompting outrage from the United States and Europe. Some European airlines immediately began avoiding Belarus airspace, a key corridor between Western Europe and Moscow and a route for long-haul flights between western Europe and Asia. Flightradar24 tracking data showed at least one Ryanair flight avoiding Belarus, adding hundreds of miles to its trip, and Latvian carrier airBaltic said it had decided not to use the country’s airspace “until the situation becomes clearer”.