Belarusian Belavia to launch flight to Dubai

Belavia will operate flights from the Belarusian capital to Dubai International Airport (DXB) twice a week: on Thursdays (departure at 19:50, arrival at 2:30 on Wednesday) and Fridays (departure at 16:15, arrival at 22:55). Return flights from Dubai to Minsk National Airport will be made on Wednesdays (departure at 3:30, arrival at 8:40) and Fridays (departure at 23:55, arrival at 5:05 on Sunday). The time is local for each airport.

A one-way ticket will cost from €216 (Light fare), including taxes and fees, and a round-trip ticket will cost from €375 (Light fare). Tickets are already available for sale.

The route will be served by Belavia's new Embraer 195-E2. This aircraft is perfect for long-haul flights and can seat 125 passengers: 9 in Business Class and 116 in Economy Class. Belavia added the new jet to its fleet on 23 December 2020, becoming the seventh airline to fly Embraer's second-generation aircraft. Two more such jets will be delivered in March and April. If the passenger traffic increases, Belavia will also deploy Boeing 737-800 with 189 seats on the Minsk-Dubai-Minsk route.

“Opening up a new destination after such a difficult year as 2020 is an important step for the airline. This is a breath of fresh air and gives us hope for resumption of regular air service on all routes of the company's route map in the near future. The possibility to launch regular flights to Dubai was on the agenda for a long time, but this became possible only now, thanks to the work of our team and our efforts to upgrade the fleet. We hope that Belarusian travel agencies will opt for our convenient direct flights. We also expect these direct flights to promote inbound tourism and increase the number of tourists from the UAE,” Belavia's Deputy Director General for Marketing and Foreign Economic Affairs Igor Cherginets said.

During the flight check-in and upon arrival in Dubai, passengers will be required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test in the English and Arabic languages, performed no later than 72 hours before the flight. Upon arrival, passengers are also required to show medical insurance for the whole period of stay in the UAE, covering all the costs of COVID-19 treatment, and fill in a questionnaire about their health. Some passengers might be asked to take a PCR-test at the airport in Dubai and self-isolate until the test results come back. All arrivals in Dubai should download the mobile application COVID-19 - DXB Smart App.

As from 16 January, Belarusian citizens are allowed to enter, leave, and transit through the UAE territory as well as stay in the UAE without a visa (for up to 90 days). The same terms apply to the UAE citizens in the territory of Belarus.

Dubai draws tourists from all over the world thanks to its warm climate and popular landmarks: the 828m-tall Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the largest musical fountain in the world, and the shopping mall Dubai Mall that features more than 1,000 stores and outlets.

Belavia is the largest air carrier in Belarus. It was established on 5 March 1996. Belavia joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 1997 and the European Regions Airline Association (ERAA) in 2010.