Polish aviation authorities say they have launched an investigation into the situation with a Boeing 737MAX operated by local charter carrier Enter Air. The airliner crossed the Ukrainian border for a few minutes on Friday, June 23.
The airline announced its version of what happened: during the incident, the pilots received instructions from air traffic controllers in Slovakia, trying to avoid the storm front that formed on their planned route. “The aircraft escaped the storm and was directed by the Slovak air traffic control to a new trajectory. Everything was done in accordance with safety regulations.
Flight Radar 24 data clearly shows how Enter Air Flight E4-4665 entered Ukrainian airspace where the borders with Poland and Slovakia cross. Then the Boeing flew near the border with Slovakia and finally returned to European airspace near the border with Hungary.
Polish aviation authorities confirmed the airline's version: “During the incident, the car was in radio contact with air traffic controllers in Bratislava. There were thunderstorms in the flight area».
The incident will be reported to the State Commission for the Investigation of Aviation Accidents, which will conduct a detailed investigation of the incident.
Ukrainian airspace was closed to all regular commercial air traffic February 24, 2022, which led to a lot of stressful situations. So, in order to rescue one of its planes from Ukraine, the low-cost carrier Wizz Air in September last year had to fly an Airbus A320 from Lviv to Poland at an altitude of only 3,000 meters.