New heights

The Belarusian aviation industry continues to explore promising areas

Restrictions imposed by a number of countries have not fundamentally affected the consistent work of domestic aviation organisations. As before, the services continue to be provided in full compliance with all international norms and standards. The airline network is expanding, and the industry continues to offer the most favourable conditions for air transportation and high-quality service for both Belarusian citizens and guests of our country. Igor Golub, Director of Aviation Department at Belarus’ Ministry of Transport and Communications, has spoken about this and many other developments in the industry.

Pavel Bogush

Union State sky

— Despite the sanctions pressure, regular flights between Belarus and friendly countries continue. Igor Vladimirovich, how is the industry functioning today?
— Indeed, we continue to fly despite the imposed restrictions, the suspension of flights by Western airlines to Belarus and domestic carriers to Europe, and the overall decline in air traffic. We primarily carry out flights to Russia, countries of the Caucasus region, Central Asia, the Middle East and others. Foreign air carriers from friendly countries also continue to operate flights to Belarus. Today, the national airline Belavia offers regular flights from Minsk National Airport, as well as from the regional airports in Gomel and Brest to 22 destinations in 10 countries. These include Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Makhachkala, Murmansk, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, the UAE, India. In addition, Minsk National Airport sends and receives flights from nine foreign carriers from Russia, Uzbekistan, China, and the United Arab Emirates. We are actively working to attract partners from the Eurasian integration member states and the CIS to resume existing routes and open new ones.

— How popular are regular flights to cities and regions of Russia? 
— The close co-operation within the Union State is reflected in the development of air traffic. Our countries are currently connected by flights of Belavia and six Russian airlines to 18 destinations. In 2023-2024, Russian carriers initiated or resumed flights to Minsk from Cherepovets, Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Ufa, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Arkhangelsk, Chelyabinsk, and Mineralnye Vody. Along with that, work is underway to open new routes connecting the Belarusian capital to various regions in Russia, such as Barnaul, Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, and more. In January — May of this year alone, over 600,000 passengers were transported on flights between Minsk and Russia’s regions, which is 27 percent more compared to the same period last year.

According to the law of demand

— What prospects for tourism and recreation do charter programmes offer Belarusians?
— Tourist charter flights to resorts in Egypt, Türkiye and Qatar are currently operated from Minsk National Airport, as well as from Gomel, Vitebsk and Brest regional airports. In addition, taking into account the growing interest among our fellow citizens in exotic destinations, our aviation marketing policy is focused on expanding the route network from friendly countries of the Persian Gulf, Central and Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.

— How does the pricing policy in terms of air ticket costs contribute to an increase in passenger traffic and air transport competitiveness compared to land transport?
— The development of the route network and the opening of flights to new destinations is a complex issue that we tackle in collaboration with interested departments of our country and other countries, major state-owned travel companies, the main Belarusian carrier Belavia Airlines OJSC and foreign airlines in order to organise tourist and business flows. Before launching any new direction, it is required to calculate the economic component, which should be feasible for both passengers and service providers. If customers are willing to pay a certain amount for the convenience of faster travel to the desired destination, they will benefit from the flight anyway. The expanded geography of flights and increased number of air carriers will contribute to the growth in passenger traffic and air transport competitiveness. This will enable passengers not only to explore new destinations for leisure and business trips, but also to buy air tickets at more attractive prices.

Minsk National Airport             Ilya Shvedko 

Regional reserves

— What role do Belarusian regional airports play in enhancing the air traffic volume today, and what are the plans to increase their workload?
— Our regional airports are international and meet all the necessary requirements for flight service. In October last year, Belavia Airlines launched flights from Gomel to Moscow, followed by the introduction of flights to St. Petersburg in March. In April of this year, we opened air service from Brest airport to the Russian capital. Since the beginning of these programmes, the frequency of flights in the specified directions has been increasing. This strengthens the already established business relationships with partners from Russia and fosters new connections, as well as opens up prospects for the development of tourism and cultural exchange between our regions. Since spring, Belarusian regional airports have been engaged more actively due to charter programmes, with flights to Türkiye and Egypt operated from Gomel and Vitebsk, and to Türkiye from Brest.

We see everything from above

Minsk National Airport has launched the Secret Passenger service quality monitoring programme, which is a kind of feedback channel that, along with the methods already used, will allow gathering additional information about passengers’ wishes and taking prompt decisions to improve service quality and making the airport more comfortable, safe and hospitable. Proactive passengers interested in enhancing the airport service quality can participate in the programme. In order to become a secret passenger, participants are required to fill out an application form on the airport’s website in the corresponding section, receive and fill out a checklist after each flight — departure or arrival — via Minsk National Airport (by any airline), and submit their feedback with a photo of the boarding pass attached no later than 10 days from the date of the flight. Participants who have prepared the most informative reports will be awarded certificates for free service in the airport’s business lounge for a certain period.

By Dmitry Shamko