Russia’s lowcost air carrier elected not to conduct flights to ten international destinations, including Minsk and Homiel, the Federal Air Transport Agency says.
To work in Belarus, the company should be accredited by the country’s Aviation Department; one of the conditions being the adjustment of tariffs with the Belarusian national aviation company Belavia. Pobeda has repeatedly expressed readiness to serve flights from Minsk to Moscow on a regular basis, but Belavia is standing firm against it.
Pobeda’s withdrawal stems from the the fact that the lowcoster failed to get the right to regular flights from the Belarusian aviation authorities.
Pobeda was expected to make 14 flights Moscow – Minsk and Moscow – Gomel a week.
As reported earlier, in late January Belavia barred Russia’s Pobeda from entering the Belarusian market. In turn, Pobeda CEO Andrey Kalmykov asked Russia’s Transport Minister for assistance in resolving tariff disputes with Belavia.
According to the Russian side, Belavia was against Pobeda’s coming to Belarus because flights to Moscow are very profitable, and a discounter with even a small number of flights would affect prices.
