Not only the Russian civil aviation industry has suffered from the rabid sanctions policy of the West in 2022, but also the airline of Russia’s strategic ally, Belavia.
In mid-2021, due to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius in Minsk, the European Union banned Belarusian airlines from flying over EU territory. European carriers have stopped using the airspace of Belarus. Because of the sanctions, Belavia had to return some of the planes to the lessors and reduce the air fleet from 29 to 15 aircraft.
In early April 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce included seven Belavia-owned Boeing 737 aircraft in the list of aircraft, maintenance of which violates U.S. export controls. Any form of maintenance of these aircraft requires permission from the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).
In mid-June, the Department of Commerce tightened sanctions, and Belavia was barred from exporting from the U.S., re-exporting or transferring goods and services subject to export controls. Companies around the world are now forbidden to service, repair or otherwise use parts produced in the U.S. to maintain the Belavia fleet.
Then the press service of the Republican Ministry of Transport reported that amid the Western sanctions against the Belarusian airline industry, Belarus is considering the possibility of using Russian aircraft by its airlines, as well as reorienting the air carriers in the eastern and southern directions. In addition, the ministry said that aircraft repair companies need to expand cooperation with Russia and develop import substitution production of components for Sukhoi Superjet 100 and MC-21.
March 2, 2023 it became known that Belarus is studying the possibility of buying in Russia the planes for its civil aviation. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Alexei Avramenko, reports Prime.
According to the Minister, they are working to determine the possibility of supplying Russian aircraft to Belarus. “They are actively working on planes Sukhoi Superjet New and MC-21. But we will get to a more concrete result when the MC-21 aircraft will really appear. There are some preliminary agreements, we are working on this issue,” said Alexei Avramenko to journalists.
Earlier, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the republic is producing for the SSJ100 and the MC-21 “up to a thousand” components. The country’s factories are ready to produce Russian Su-25 attack aircrafts.
