Starting on 27 August, Minister of Defence Jüri Luik has decided to restore access to training areas in Estonian airspace for allied training flights.
‘In order to ensure Estonia’s security, full scale NATO air policing missions must be carried out in our airspace, including various air policing related combat training exercises,’ said Minister of Defence Jüri Luik. According to the Minister, only then will the units stationed here be sufficiently ready to secure our airspace.
'The investigation of the specific incident is currently underway and it is not possible to comment on it further at this time; although, at the moment, there is no reason to believe that the incident was the result of the regulations governing the use of air training areas. Also, no threat was posed to civil aviation at any time during the accident,’ added Luik.
Spain has opened its own investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the accidental firing of a missile on 7 August, in Estonian airspace, by a Spanish fighter. Air safety specialists from the Estonian Air Force Headquarters are investigating the incident on behalf of the Estonian Defence Forces. The workgroup consisting of air safety experts from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications is reviewing each of the procedures and terms and conditions governing the creation of air training areas, although the recent situation was not a result of the current procedures.
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