US allows Boeing to work with Belarus’ Belavia, CEO claims
The US Department of Commerce has given Boeing permission to work with Belarus’ national carrier Belavia, according to the airline’s CEO.
On October 31, 2026, Belavia CEO Igor Cherginets told BelTA, Belarus’s state-owned news agency, that the agreement will “allow Belavia to directly source spare parts, components, and software for the airline’s existing aircraft” from Boeing.
Cherginets added: “Furthermore, it opens the way for negotiations to purchase aircraft directly from Boeing.”
In September 2025, the US eased sanctions on Belavia, following a meeting between the Trump administration and Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk.
The announcement followed news that Belarus had released 52 political prisoners.
Belavia has been under EU sanctions since 2021, following the forced diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978 to Minsk to arrest opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich.
The US initially imposed aviation restrictions following the incident. Belavia was added to the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list in August 2023, subjecting the airline to US financial sanctions.
In a statement in August 2023, the US Department of the Treasury, said: “This action targets several entities involved in the Belarusian regime’s continued civil society repression, complicity in the Russian Federation’s unjustified war in Ukraine, and enrichment of repressive Belarusian regime leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka.”
The restrictions barred the airline from leasing Western-built aircraft or obtaining spare parts and services.
There will be concerns that the latest development will allow for Boeing parts and components to be transported on to Russia, which itself faces aviation related sanctions.
According to ch-aviation data, Belavia has a fleet of 22 aircraft including 12 Boeing aircraft.
AeroTime has contacted Boeing and the US Department of Commerce for comment.
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The US Department of Commerce has given Boeing permission to work with Belarus’ national carrier Belavia, according to…
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