"Dear AUs,
In the wake of the alleged "bomb threat" on a Ryanair commercial passenger flight FR4978, which made an emergency landing at Minsk National Airport on May 23rd, 2021, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) initiated a safety and security assessment of the Belarusian airspace.
Hoaxes, bomb threats and security alerts affecting the aviation sector in general are credible concerns - Though bomb threats rarely translate into actual attacks, they remain likely to cause disruption through heightened aviation security measures in the near term at Belarusian airports.
In the light of these, EASA would like to raise concerns with regards to the risk to commercial aviation and as a precautionary measure, the Agency recommends the European air carriers to exercise caution when operating within or over FIR Minsk (UMMV).
Due to this non-commonly security occurrence, EASA would invite you to share this information with your airlines so that they take it into account in their own risk assessments, alongside any available guidance or directions from their national authorities as appropriate.
The Agency continues to monitor the situation to assess whether there is an increase or de-escalation of the risk for EU aircraft operators as a result of the evolution of the situation.
NMOC Brussels"
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