The UK government has asked airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace following an incident on Sunday during which an Irish passenger aircraft was diverted to land in the Belarus capital of Minsk over a bomb alert and a dissident was arrested. Transport Secretary Grant Shapp said he has instructed the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) to make the request to airlines. “Following the forced diversion of a @Ryanair aircraft to Minsk yesterday, I’ve instructed @UK_CAA to request airlines avoid Belarusian airspace in order to keep passengers safe,” Shapps said on Twitter. “I have also suspended Belavia’s operating permit,” he added, referring to the national airline of Belarus. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said earlier on Monday that she would work with Lithuania’s international partners to close the airspace of Belarus to international flights. Belarusian ambassador to the UK Maxim Yermolovich has also been summoned to the Foreign Office after the incident, …