Diversion of Ryanair flight breached ‘all international aviation rules’

The diversion of a Ryanair flight to Belarus, allowing a prominent critic to be arrested, was a ‘premeditated breach of all the international aviation rules’, according to the airline’s boss Michael O’Leary. Picture: Steve Parsons/PA

The diversion of a Ryanair flight to Belarus, allowing a prominent critic to be arrested, was a “premeditated breach of all the international aviation rules”, according to the airline’s chief Michael O’Leary.

Ryanair flight FR4978 from Greece to Lithuania on May 23 changed course to head for the Belarus capital Minsk escorted by a MiG fighter jet.