The Belarusian air carrier Belavia and Boeing Company have signed an agreement on purchasing three Boeing 737-800 Next Generation jets, BelTA has learned. “Boeing 737-800 is the most popular aircraft that we make at present,” said Martin Bentrott, Boeing's Senior Vice President for Civil Aircraft Sales. He remarked that from the technical point of view the Belarusian air carrier is competent and professional. “We are proud of having Boeing products as part of Belavia's fleet. The agreement represents an important step in the development of our relations not only today but in the future, too,” stated Martin Bentrott. Belavia Director General Anatoly Gusarov underlined that the company will directly buy the Boeing 737-800 jets. The contract specifies the delivery of the aircraft in 2017, he noted. However, the air carrier has asked Boeing to reduce the waiting time as much as possible. “There is hope it will be accomplished,” added the Director General. The order is estimated at $272 million in current prices listed by the producer's catalogue. According to Anatoly Gusarov, the financial resources to make this year's payments as part of the contract have been allocated. Later on the air carrier intends to use loans from Belarusian and foreign banks. The latter may include the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus and the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Belavia's Director General said that they had opted for economy class options for the three jets. Each jet will have the capacity to carry 189 passengers. The air carrier intends to use the aircraft for existing charter flights. The high economic effectiveness of the aircraft will allow reducing operational costs while the increased flight range will make longer non-stop flights possible, including those to Tenerife and Dubai. Belavia is the largest air carrier in Belarus by the number of passengers and cargoes it transports. The company operates 26 aircraft. In late January 2014 the company was reincorporated as a public joint-stock company. Based in the National Airport Minsk, Belavia offers regular flights to over 40 destinations in Europe and Asia. Belavia's services meet the highest international safety standards. In January-May 2014 Belavia carried over 522,500 passengers, 16.8% up from January-May 2013.
Written by belta.by
