Belavia (B2, Minsk National) owner, the Belarus government, has shelved its plans for a second national carrier citing poor market conditions. Belarus Minister of Transport and Communications, Anatoly Sivak, told the official BelTA news agency that while a business plan had been crafted, its approval had now been put on hold, due in large part, to the regional impact of Russia's economic woes.
“Taking into account the passenger traffic that we have, it is economically inadvisable to take further steps as part of the project for now,” he said. "The project will be shelved because at present there are many factors that influence passenger traffic. While this year [2014] we've expected an increase in passenger traffic, particularly through charter programs, we are not so optimistic about the next year [i.e. 2015].”
In October last year, Grodno Aviakompania (GRX, Grodno) management crafted a business plan for the carrier which, beginning in the first quarter of 2016, would have operated four SSJ 100/95s on flights connecting the Belarus cities of Grodno, Gomel, and Minsk with the Russian cities of Kazan International, Novosibirsk, Sochi, and Ufa.
