Ukraine agrees compensation over Belavia plane incident
Ukraine has agreed to compensate to Belavia for the forced return of the Minsk-bound flight to Zhulyany airport, Belavia CEO Anatol Gusarov said on November 2.
“We are working with Ukrainian colleagues to determine the size of compensation. This issue will be settled soon,” Anatoly Gusarov said and noted that the Ukrainian side agreed to pay compensation. “Its size is the only issue remaining,” he said. “We are calculating the sum and negotiating: they agreed to take up some expenses, i.e. they are not billing us. When the sum is finally determined, the cost of the damage will be established. But I can say that the sum will not be big,” Anatoly Gusarov is quoted by BELTA as saying.
The incident with forced return of the Belavia aircraft to Zhulyany Airport on 21 October does not fit into the framework of the international aviation law.
Uladzimir Kostsin, director of Aviation Department at the Ministry of Transport and Communication, described the actions of the Belarusian crew as absolutely correct.
"The crew acted in this situation correctly because under all international laws, the captain had to execute commands of the air controller especially in the Ukrainian air space. As of today, there is no reaction from Ukraine," stressed the director of the department. In his view, Ukraine should apologize becase all international conventions were broken.
