Belavia (B2, Minsk National) could see increased competition on international flights after the Belarus Ministry of Transport announced plans to set up a second international carrier.

During the opening ceremony of the Transport and Logistics fair in Minsk this week, Minister of Transport, Anatoly Sivak, told the BeITA newswire that his ministry had tasked local firm, Grodno Aviakompania (GRX, Grodno), to evaluate the possibilities and feasibility of such a project.

“Experts are currently working on a business plan and doing calculations. As soon as the results are shown to us, the business plan will be approved at the Transport and Communications Ministry,” he said.

As the country's designated national carrier, Belavia enjoys a monopoly on scheduled international passenger flights. With a fleet of thirty aircraft including B737-300s, B737-500s, CRJ200s, E175s, E195s, and Tu-154s, the airline currently offers scheduled services to 41 destinations in 28 countries with no domestic operations. Sivak announced that the delivery of three B737-800s on order from Boeing (BOE, Washington National) will be brought forward by a year with their arrival now set for 2016.