Boeing and Belavia, the national airline company of Belarus, celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Next-Generation 737-800 purchased directly from the manufacturer.
The airplane, featuring a new distinct livery, completed its delivery flight and arrived overnight in Minsk.
Belavia selected the 737-800 based on business objectives set by the airline – cost efficiency and maximum range for flights to Europe and Central Asia. The 737-800 flies 320 kilometers farther than its competitors while consuming five percent less fuel.
“Belavia focuses on reliability and punctuality in its work,” said Anatoly Gusarov, general director, Belavia.
“In order to ensure full adherence to our principles, we made our choice focusing on aircraft performance. Therefore, we hope to increase our dispatch reliability and punctuality rate even further after bringing 737 airplanes into operation.”
The Belarusian airline serves a network of routes between European cities and the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as some Middle East destinations from its base at Minsk National Airport.
Belavia is considering adding longhaul aircraft to its fleet to introduce new routes to China and North America.
By the end of May 2015, Belavia retired their Tupolev Tu-154s from scheduled services. The airline was the last one worldwide to operate Tu-154s on public scheduled routes.