Ryanair Belarus incident prompts strong reaction; Stonepeak & Bellinger acquire NAB portfolio

The aviation and political worlds collided this weekend when a commercial Ryanair flight was forcibly diverted from landing at its Vilnius, Lithuania destination by Belarus air force fighter jets to divert to Minsk where four Russian passengers were detained. The pilot of the Ryanair plane was told to land due to a bomb threat onboard. After landing however the Russian individuals were removed from the plane. Speaking to Irish radio, Ryanair group CEO Michael O’Leary described the action as a case of “state-sponsored hijacking – state-sponsored piracy” that deserves a strong and clear response from the EU. The Irish Taoiseach Micheál