Business news

15 Jul 2019

Belavia launches Minsk-Munich air service

MINSK, 15 July (BelTA) – The Belarusian air company Belavia launched a new flight Minsk-Munich-Minsk on 15 July, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian air carrier.

The air company will operate the new flight four times a week departing from Minsk at 12.30 on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and arriving at the Franz Josef Strauss International in Munich at 13.35. The departure of the return flight from Munich is at 14.15, arrival at Minsk National Airport is at 17.15. The time is local for all the airports. The flights is operated using Embraer 175 that can accommodate 76 passengers. The flight time is about two hours.

Munich International Airport has become the fourth destination for Belavia in Germany. Now the Belarusian air carrier operates scheduled flights to the airports of Berlin, Frankfurt, Hanover and Munich.

According to Belavia Director General Anatoly Gusarov, the launch of the flight to Munich has become a landmark event for Belavia which the company awaited for several years. “In the spring of this year the aeronautical authorities of Belarus and Germany reached an agreement to increase the flight frequency and expand the flight routes for the air carriers of the two countries. Thanks to this agreement, we have been able to add a new destination to the company's route map,” Anatoly Gusarov said. According to him, the parties hope that the launch of the new flight will enhance trade and economic relations between Belarusian and German partners, and will facilitate the exchange of official, cultural and sports delegations between Belarus and Germany.

In addition, this will provide an opportunity to increase transit from Europe via Minsk National Airport, which, in turn, will enable to optimize air fare prices making them more affordable.

When speaking to the media, Anatoly Gusarov shared the plans for the further development of the airline's route network: “This year we are not planning active development of the route network. Yet the European region is very interesting for us as we see the demand there. We think it can be Madrid and other destinations in Europe. We are also interested in the eastern direction. Perhaps there will be new destinations in China, India. But here our plans stumble on the absence of a Boeing 737 MAX,” he said.

Belavia is Belarus' biggest air carrier. Based in Minsk National Airport, it offers regular flights to 55 destinations in 29 countries. The company operates a fleet of 30 aircraft (seven Boeing 737-800, six Boeing 737-500, five Boeing 737-300 jets, four Embraer 175 aircraft, four Embraers 195 and two CRJ-100/-200).