Turkish Airlines will resume flights from Istanbul (IST) – Minsk (MSQ) after they were cancelled in 2022 following the start of the so called Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
The flights, which are due to resume on September 21st, 2026, will initially consist of 6 flights per week before increasing to at least 7 per week by the end of October.
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Why Resume Flights to Belarus?
Flights to Belarus are currently extremely limited, coming for the most part from Russia, as well as a handful of other countries, such as the UAE, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and China. As the political situation has improved, as well as the perceived risk, demand now far outweighs supply.
Therefore, this can for the most part be seen as an economic decision rather than a major shift in geopolitics. Turkish Airlines tend to remain neutral when it comes to business, with Turkey still a major route for Russian tourists. Turkish Airlines also currently offer 60-80 flights per week to the Russian Federation, both scheduled and charter.
When will the flights to Belarus be?
As stated, flights will be offered 6 times per week from September 21st, with this rising to 7 by October 6th, subject to demand. The flights will go from Istanbul (IST) – Minsk (MSQ).
Expected flight times are to be:
Depart Istanbul: Around 13:00–15:00
Arrive Minsk: Around 16:30–18:00 (local time)
or
Depart Minsk: Around 06:30–08:00
Arrive Istanbul: Around 11:30–13:00 (local time)
Although unconfirmed, it is expected that they will be run using Boeing 737-800/MAX 8 or Airbus A321s (depending on the day).
What will it mean for tourism?
While tourism to Russia has largely flatlined due to the current visa policies of the Russian Federation, quite the opposite can be said for Belarus. This has seen tourism grow modestly within the country over the last year, in part due to the ease of visas.
The bottleneck, though, has been getting to the country, with many Europeans wishing to visit Minsk having to do so via Dubai. With the opening of this route and the cost savings that it will bring, it is hoped tourism numbers will be further boosted within the country.
And this is certainly something we personally will be looking at with YPT!
Click to see our ever expanding Belarus Tours.
