First aircraft of its type in domestic fleet, and most capacious

Belavia’s Director General, Anatoly Gusarov, tells us that the new purchase will enable the enterprise to serve regular and charter destinations. He adds, “We plan to start using our first Boeing 737-800 very soon,” noting that the plane’s economic efficiency will reduce fuel costs, allowing savings to be passed on in ticket prices.


The new craft arrived in Minsk after passing technical servicing and is now leased for six years to the Belarusian air carrier. Manufactured in 2000, the plane remains in very good technical condition and was used previously by a German air company. It is costing approximately $28m to lease, against around $100m new.

Belavia plans to increase its passenger flow by at least 10 percent against 2014, as Mr. Gusarov underlines, despite forecast difficulties. Accordingly, the air company is expanding its fleet, leasing three more Boeing 737-800s in 2016.

Mr. Gusarov believes that passenger volumes will rise not only for direct Belavia flights from Minsk this year, but for transit through Minsk’s National Airport. The new generation of Boeing 737-800s will facilitate this. He emphasises, “Our calculations show that additionally purchased Boeing aircraft will be in demand, enabling us to open further regular and charter routes, transporting passengers to such popular destinations as Barcelona, Tel Aviv and Larnaca, through the summer.”