Ethiopian Airline Boeing 777-F; With Registration Mark ET-AVT
Turkish government through its aviation authority has placed a ban on Ethiopian Airline cargo aircraft flying from Europe to Armenia despite the initial permit to fly over Turkey, en route to its destination.
The Ethiopian Airline’s aircraft, a Boeing 777F with registration mark: ET-APU, and flight number- ET 3584, took off from Liege, Belgium, with goods ordered by online shoppers in Armenia and neighbouring Georgia.
The flight was on a commercial agreement with Armenian Hayways cargo airline company.
According to the flight data monitored online and in real-time, the aircraft while airborne flew over the airspace of Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, until it entered the airspace of Bulgaria, all went seamlessly.
While in the Bulgaria airspace, communication from the cockpit to the tower in Instalbull, and Ankra, got no favourable response. The aircraft was reportedly captured online, making few circles within the Bulgaria airspace. According to the flight plan, the cargo aircraft airborne had just only Turkey to access before arriving at its destination airport, Zvartnots, in Yerevan, Armenia.
However, when the cockpit crew did not receive entry permission from Instabul, the commander turned back to Vienna, where the aircraft safely landed before returning to Liège.
Hence, the Armenia air cargo company on the following day, Wednesday, ensured that another Ethiopian Airline’s cargo aircraft, a Boeing 777F with registration mark: ET-AVT, and flight number- ET 3584, took off from Liège and delivered the cargo at Zvartnots airport, Armenia. Although it opted for a longer transit route through Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan Russia.
The Armenian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed over the weekend that the Ethiopian carrier had prior permission to fly over Turkey.
But the Director General, DG, of the Armenia CAA could not say why Turkey aviation authorities revoked its permission while the aircraft was airborne and without any explanation.
A leader at the Armenian parliament, Hakob Arshakyan, who is the deputy speaker of the Armenian legislative body said, “It’s not pleasant to hear such news” as it had the potential to disorganize the flight crew plans and undermine safety.
He spoke further, “I don’t know whether it was a political decision or there was a technical problem,” said Arshakyan.
He expressed his optimism that Turkey will quickly do a rethink and remove such hurdles in line with interim normalization agreements which Yerevan reached two years ago with Turkey.
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