The first direct flight from Belarus arrived in India on Saturday. Announcing the arrival of the flight from Belarusian Airline Belavia on the social media account X, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus shared a video showing a flight arriving in India and the Belarusian Ambassador to India, Andrei Rzheussky, along with the staff untie the ribbon.
"First direct flight from Belarus arrived in India," it said in a tweet. Earlier, on Wednesday, Rzheussky confirmed that the first-ever direct flight between Minsk, the capital of Belarus and Delhi, India would start on August 12.
While speaking to ANI, Ambassador said that a lot of efforts were made to launch a regular flight service between Belarus and India and that the service will commence on August 12. "It was not the easy way. For the last couple of years, we did our routine job just to fulfil this project into life. And now I am proudly announcing that at the end of this week (on Saturday) the first ever scheduled flight from Minsk to India will take place," he said.
The Belarus Ambassador also stated that only a couple of flights were operated before this regular flight service. He also highlighted the importance of this flight service in terms of business and tourism. The flight schedule that begins on August 11 (local time) starts from a weekly flight with the departure from Minsk on Fridays. In return, the flight will depart from Delhi on Saturdays.
Earlier, Belarusian Airline Belavia released a press release where its Director General Igor Cherginets said, “We know that passengers have been looking forward to the opening of this flight. Our specialists have been working hard for a long time to fulfil the travellers’ wishes. I can firmly say that this is one of the most interesting destinations in the route network of the airline. We have solved the problem of those, who have long dreamed to dive into the Indian flavour and experience the culture of another country, but were not ready to set out on a long journey with layovers.”
“Now, to travel to India all you have to do is buy one ticket, take a good mood and get on the plane, and we will take you to new emotions. We also expect that the launch of flights between Minsk and Delhi will foster the development of cooperation between Belarus and India” Cherginets said in a release. Belarus citizens need to have a visa to travel to India. The visa can be obtained online: an electronic visa is issued for a period of 30 days, a year or five years. More information on how to get a visa and the required documents can be found on the website of the Embassy of India in Minsk.
(With inputs from ANI)
ALSO READ | Australian PM Anthony Albanese to attend G20 Leaders' Summit in Delhi next month
ALSO READ | Chinese surveillance vessel docks in Sri Lanka's Colombo Port despite security concerns by India
