Lithuania’s police have opened a pre-trial investigation into a mysterious flight from Lithuania over several Eastern European countries that landed in Bulgaria.
“A pre-trial investigation into a violation of international rules of the air has been opened at the Criminal Police Bureau,” Saulius Briginas, deputy chief of the Criminal Police Bureau, said.
According to Briginas, the investigation will be led by the Prosecutor General’s Office.
“Officers suspect a violation of international rules of the air, which require a flight plan for international flights,” he said.
“Moreover, the plane did not have a flight authorisation at all, whereas each plane needs an authorisation to conduct flights. It could not operate flights even in Lithuania, let alone internationally,” Briginas added.
Bulgaria earlier reported that a two-seater plane took off from Lithuania without permission and flew over several Eastern European countries, attracting air force attention before being abandoned in Bulgaria by an unknown crew.
The country’s interior minister, Boyko Rashkov, then told reporters the aircraft had entered the airspace of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania and finally Bulgaria without permission.
According to the Bulgarian authorities, the twin-engine Beechcraft with two people on board did not have an approved flight plan and its transponders were switched off. The pilot failed to respond to radio requests and visual signals.
The plane was escorted by fighter jets in Hungary and Romania before it entered Bulgaria’s airspace.
The incident has triggered calls in Lithuania for narrowing non-regulated airspace. The Transport Ministry has said that it will consult experts before making any decisions. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
