Belavia

1933–1944

On 7 November 1933, the first Belarusian air terminal opened in Minsk. In the next spring, 3 Po-2 became the first aircraft of the Belarusian air fleet. In 1936 the first regular air route between Minsk and Moscow was established. The Belarusian civil aviation group, an Aeroflot subdivision, was officially founded in the summer of 1940. That year, Belarusian aviators transported 2,200 passengers, 1,534 doctors, 117 ill people, and 338 tonnes of cargo.

Belarusian civil aviators participated in World War II as part of the Western Civil Air Fleet Group, which included three regiments, and was under the control of the Red Army, From June 1941 to June 1942, they transported 60,149 military personnel, evacuated 37,680 people, carried 583.1 tonnes of ammunition, and dropped 3,106 bombs. They also assisted Belarusian partisans by transporting 467.9 tonnes of cargo to them and evacuating 1,433 people between 1941 and 1944. Air connection between Minsk and Moscow was restored in 1944.

1945–1991

After the war, the air fleet in Belarus was expanded by adding Lisunov Li-2 aircraft. Routes were introduced to Mogilev, Vitebsk, Bobruisk, Gomel, Baranovichi, and Polotsk. By 1946, the total distance covered by air travel had doubled compared to 1940. During the next five years, local transport aviation carried over 230,000 passengers, 5,227 tonnes of mail, and 7,127 tonnes of cargo. At the same time, the Belarusian SSR also established air connections with the Baltic states, Leningrad, Kishinev and Kaliningrad.

The Ilyushin Il-12 was introduced in 1951, soon followed by the Ilyushin Il-14. Since 1954, flight attendants appeared on flights. From 1955 onwards, the older Po-2 biplanes were gradually replaced by more modern aircraft like the Yakovlev Yak-12 and Antonov An-2.

In the 1960s, the Antonov An-12 and later the Tupolev Tu-124 began operating on the Moscow-Minsk route. The Antonov An-24 was introduced in 1967. The number of passengers departing from Belarusian airports grew to 530,000, which was a 7.6-fold increase since 1958. The total length of the air routes expanded to 17,500 kilometers. By the end of the decade, the Belarusian Association of Civil Aviation flew 35 routes of Soviet Union importance and 67 domestic ones; it also flew to other countries of the Eastern Bloc, including East Germany. In 1972, the fleet was expanded with the Yakovlev Yak-40 and later with the Tupolev Tu-134. Belarus became recognized as the primary center of expertise for this aircraft within the Soviet Union. The 1980s saw the introduction of the Tupolev Tu-154.

1992–2020

Upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus republic acquired a fleet of aircraft, comprising 24 Tu-154s, 19 Tu-134s, 18 An-24s, 7 An-26s, and 8 Yak-40s. This fleet was initially part of the Belarusian Civil Aviation Association "Belavia".

In 1996, the association underwent reorganization, leading to the formation of the national airline, Belavia, which subsequently joined IATA that same year. Belavia took over Minskavia in 1998 and Mogilevavia in 2000. In 2003, the fleet expanded with the delivery of Boeing 737-500, the first introduction of Western-manufactured aircraft in Belarus.

Between 2003 and 2009, the airline saw its passenger numbers double and in 2009 handled just under 700,000 customers.

Three leased Bombardier CRJ 100 aircraft were introduced on regional services from Minsk. The first one was delivered in February 2007, with the other two later in 2007. They directly replaced the aging Antonov An-24 and Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft. It was looking to lease two Bombardier CRJ-700s in 2010. Belavia had also planned to retire its remaining Tupolev Tu-154Ms by 2011 following he retirement of its last Tupolev Tu-134 in summer 2009 which was replaced by an ex-FlyLAL Boeing 737-500. On 27 June 2014, an order was announced for three Boeing 737-800 aircraft to be acquired directly by Belavia. The first of these was delivered in August 2016.

In August 2016, Belavia received their first aircraft with their new livery. This is the first re-branding since the company's founding in 1996 on its 20 years anniversary. The new livery was applied a brand new Boeing 737-800. The much newer 737s replaced the aging Tupolev Tu-154s. On 1 October 2016, Belavia retired their two remaining Tupolev Tu-154s from scheduled services as one of the last airlines worldwide to do so.

In 2019, the company employed nearly 1,900 people, and generated a turnover of 374 million euros with an operating result of 49 million euros. During this year it carried almost 4 million passengers, an increase of more than 15% compared to the 2018 figure.

Several employees who participated in 2020 Belarusian protests were forced to leave their jobs.

Sanctions from 2021

On 24 May 2021, the British government suspended Belavia's operating permit in response to the Ryanair Flight 4978 incident.