MINSK, 29 October (BelTA) – The changes that have been made to Belavia's operations following the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on the airline were outlined by Belavia Director General Igor Cherginets at a press conference to mark Civil Aviation Workers’ Day, BelTA has learned.
“Sanctions have been partially lifted. This is a significant development for us. The process of normalizing our relations is ongoing,” Igor Cherginets said, adding that passengers may not notice any changes. “We continue to operate steadily and fulfill our commitments. We are making progress inside our company. It is impossible to make major changes in our work with the United States within a month or two. But changes will definitely come. We are working on this. For now, these efforts are not very visible to the public and remain largely hidden from the outside world.”
The Belavia director general emphasized that the issue concerns the supply of spare parts and components from the United States, as well as the airline's ability to conduct transactions in U.S. dollars more easily.
As it was reported earlier, the lifting of sanctions on Belavia was first announced by U.S. Presidential Envoy John Coale in September during his visit to Minsk to meet with the president of Belarus. Later, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a special license allowing American companies to conduct transactions with Belavia.
As for the sanctions, they mainly concerned restrictions related to maintaining the airworthiness of the airline's fleet. Before they were introduced, direct deliveries were made, and regular updating of information systems took place. The airline received spare parts and aircraft components directly
Commercial activity was also restricted, particularly work with reservation systems at foreign airports. Due to the imposed payment block, Belavia was unable to settle accounts directly with contractors, such as for ground handling, catering, and onboard meals. Some countries, fearing retaliatory sanctions, also imposed their own restrictions on Belavia flights.
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