Details have been released of a Polish Boeing 737 MAX jet accidentally entering Ukrainian airspace while travelling to Turkey.
Airline Enter Air confirmed the incident occurred when the aircraft was flying from Poznań to Antalya in Turkey on June 23, 2023.
According to TVN24, flight E44665 left Poland at 5:20pm and the Enter Air jet flew about 20 kilometers into Ukraine’s airspace for a few minutes.
The airline reportedly said the incident developed after the aircraft avoided bad weather over Europe.
“The plane avoided the storm and was directed by Slovak air traffic control to such a route. Everything was done in accordance with safety procedures,” Enter Air told TVN24.
The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) issued a statement following the incident.
“The plane @EnterairSpzoo flying from Poznań to Antalya flew over Slovakia into the Ukrainian airspace for a few minutes. At the time of the incident, the machine was in radio contact with air traffic controllers in Bratislava. There were storm fronts in the area of the flight,” PANSA tweeted.
The agency later confirmed that the State Commission for Investigation of Aircraft Accident will investigate the circumstances of the event.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Poland are also reportedly looking into the case.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the country’s airspace was closed to civilian flights.