Belarusian Passenger Plane Turned Back At The Polish Border After Being Warned That They Cannot Enter French Airspace

FILE PHOTO: A wing of a plane of Belavia company is seen over clouds near Minsk

Zgodnie z informacją operacyjną samolot @Belavia_by BRU869 zawrócił do Mińska. pic.twitter.com/L21VTtufgs

— PANSA (@PANSA_PL) May 26, 2021

Reuters: Belarusian plane turns back after warning about French airspace 

WARSAW (Reuters) -A Belarusian passenger plane flying from Minsk to Barcelona turned back on Wednesday, data from website Flightradar24 showed, after Poland said it may not be able to enter French airspace. 

European Union leaders have directed officials to draw up new sanctions against Belarus and work out a way to ban Belarusian airlines from the bloc's skies after a Ryanair flight carrying a dissident journalist was forced to land in Minsk. 

Belarusian state carrier Belavia flight 2869 from Minsk had been scheduled to land in Barcelona on Wednesday afternoon. 

"This pilot received information from us that the French airspace was blocked ... and he may have a problem with entering," Polish Air Navigation Services Agency spokesman Pawel Lukasiewicz said by telephone.  

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Update: Belarusian plane returns to Minsk as it couldn't fly over France (TVN24)  

WNU Editor: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has responded to these Western measures .... Belarus leader defends plane diversion, accuses West of waging ‘hybrid war’ (Sydney Morning Herald).