Russia's invasion of Ukraine is having a lot of implications for global aviation, as we are seeing lots of complicated new airspace bans. We have seen airlines operate longer routes than in the past. I don't think anything can hold a candle to Belavia's flight from Minsk to Istanbul.
Belavia is the state-owned carrier of Belarus, and it has a nonstop flight to Istanbul. The flight used to take around two hours, assuming commercial jets fly around 500 miles per hour, but then the climb out and descent take a bit longer.
Through May 28, 2021, this route took around two hours, and sometimes even less, as the airline was able to operate a direct route with limited restrictions.
Belavia began taking a lot more time, around 3hr 30min, on May 29, 2021. Why? The government of Belarus forced a flight from Athens to Vilnius to make an emergency landing so that an opponent of the government could be arrested.
The government wanted the pilots to divert the plane in order to arrest someone, so they fabricated a bomb threat for the flight. The national airline of Belarus was banned from the airspace of several countries after the international community came down hard on the country for this.
Belavia is having to fly a bigger plane in the market in order to have enough range, because their flight from Minsk to Istanbul has just become even longer. Belavia's flight from Minsk to Belarus is taking more than five hours. Why?
Due to the risks, the airline is avoiding airspace in Western Russia as well as Ukrainian airspace. Commercial planes are avoiding the area because of a lot of military movement.
Take a look at that route. Yesterday's flight covered an actual distance of 2,779 miles, which is over three times the direct distance.
The airline used to operate an Embraer E195 on the route, but is now having to fly a Boeing 737-800 in order to have a plane with enough range.
Over the years we have seen airlines use indirect routes due to diplomatic spats and airspace restrictions. There was a blockade in place for a long time. I don't think I've ever seen a flight operate this indirectly, flying three times the distance.
I don't think there is a commercial reason for the airline to operate this route, as they are having to use a bigger plane than before. I think this route is more political than profit-driven at this point, with Belarus being a close ally of Russia.
Belavia, the national airline of Belarus, is operating a route between Minsk and Istanbul. The route between the two airports used to take less than two hours back in the day.
The flight was 90 minutes longer after the government of Belarus committed aircraft piracy. The flight has become two hours longer as it avoids both Ukrainian airspace and Western Russian airspace. I am curious to see how long this route lasts.
What do you think about Belavia's route from Minsk to Istanbul?
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