Belarusian Pilots Hampered in Tunisia
Two Belarusian pilots and seven more of their colleagues from Russia have been stranded at an airport on the Mediterranean island of Djerba. The pilots, who were ferrying a Mi-26 helicopter to Uganda, were detained by the Tunisian authorities when the aircraft made a scheduled technical stop on the island.
The detention of the Mi-26 helicopter crew (five are pilots, four are their colleagues responsible for the helicopter’s maintenance) was reported by the Russian Telegram channel Baza. According to its information, the crew’s passports were confiscated without explanation and without any official grounds for detention being stated.
According to pilot Sergei Suslov, they have been barred from leaving the airport building, despite having prepaid hotel rooms. As a result, the crew has been spending the night at the airport for a third day.
The Russian consulate has now become involved in resolving the situation. The Russian embassy in Tunisia reported that an official letter from the «Kyrgyz airline» to which the helicopter belongs and for which the crew is officially employed was received on 20 December. Following this, Russian diplomats sent an official note to the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – «to clarify and regularise the legal status of the crew members».
According to the version presented by the Tunisian authorities, as relayed by the Russian embassy, the local authorities did not impede the helicopter’s flight, but the aircraft allegedly lacked permission to fly to the next point on its route. According to the embassy’s information, this permission has still not been obtained. Nevertheless, the helicopter crew, according to the Russian side, has been permitted to depart from the island.
«An agreement has been reached with the Tunisian authorities that the crew will leave the country in the near future,» – the «Rossiyskaya Gazeta» portal quoted the statement from the Russian embassy.