Tallinn. January 4th. INTERFAX - Belgian Air Force aircraft have started practicing low-altitude flights in Estonian airspace.
As the press service of the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces told Interfax, "paired flights of F-16 fighters of the Belgian Air Force will be conducted from January 4 to January 9 in Southwestern, Southern, Eastern and Central Estonia at an altitude of at least 152 meters (500 feet)."
The general staff assures that every effort will be made to ensure that planes do not fly over populated areas and farms, but still warn that it may not be possible to completely avoid this.
NATO members allocate certain parts of their airspace for Air Force exercises and training, including low-altitude operations. The Baltic countries have also allocated their own zones. Such flights comply with Estonian legislation and are carried out in coordination with the Transport Department and the Aviation Communication Service, the general staff noted.
According to the decision of the North Atlantic Council, the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which do not have their own fighters, is carried out on the basis of rotation by the air forces of NATO member countries. Their aircraft are stationed at the Amari Air Base in Estonia and at the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania.
