Boeing Cleared To Sell Parts & Jets To Belarus Despite Fears They’ll End Up In Russia

Credit: EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock Published Nov 2, 2026, 4:18 AM EST A graduate in German, Jake has a passion for history and regional aviation, and enjoys sampling new carriers and aircraft. He has visited OEM facilities as far and wide as Bristol, Toulouse, and Seattle, and recently enjoyed the milestone of flying his 150th sector as a passenger. Based in Norfolk, UK. Sign in to your Simple Flying account Boeing has officially been cleared to resume direct business with Belarusian flag carrier Belavia, which flies 12 aircraft from the US planemaker. The airline had been placed under sanctions by the US, but these were initially eased back in September of 2025. Now the US has gone a step further after its Commerce Department licensed Boeing to deal directly with Belavia in terms of both parts and planes. Belarusian officials welcomed the decision, but some fear that it could be used as a way of getting Boeing components and aircraft to Russia through the back door, given Belarus's allyship with the latter nation. Russia remains under sanctions amid its military activities in Ukraine, almost five years after its initial invasion back in February of 2022. This has forced its airlines to rethink their fleet strategies. From Parts To Planes Credit: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock BelTA and Reform News recently reported that US officials had cleared Boeing to undertake direct transactions with Belarusian flag carrier Belavia. The publications cited Belavia CEO Igor Tcherginets, who confirmed on October 31 that his carrier can now "directly obtain spare parts, components and software for the aircraft currently operated by the airline" from Boeing. Tcherginets added that the US Department of the Treasury had also previously issued such an authorization. While American sanctions on Belavia were initially lifted more than a year ago, Politico reported at the time that the US did not want this to lead to Russia getting its hands on spare parts through the Belarusian back door. According to Tcherginets, Belavia is also now allowed to make larger purchases: "In addition, this opens the way for negotiations on purchasing aircraft directly from Boeing." The News Follows Meetings Between US & Belarusian Officials Credit: Ronen Fefer | Shutterstock Coverage of the matter by Reform News highlights the fact that this latest approval came about following productive talks between officials from Belarus and the US. These, the publication said, were held in Minsk in September, with Aleksandr Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, meeting US Special Envoy John Coale, who formed part of a wider American delegation that was visiting the Belarusian capital. The aim of these talks from the Belarusian side was reportedly to outline areas that would require US resolution in order for constructive dialog between the two nations to continue. With aviation playing an increasingly important political role as a form of soft power, and the timing of this recent announcement, it seems fairly likely that enabling direct work between Boeing and Belavia was one such talking point. The US and Belarus remain in talks, with Belaruskali CEO Andrei Rybakou having also had his personal sanctions lifted. He described the authorization for Boeing and Belavia to work directly together once again as "another positive decision." However, if this decision is later used as a loophole to allow spare parts to flow into Russia and aid its sanction-hit airlines, you might expect it to be swiftly reversed. Belavia Doesn't Just Fly Boeing Aircraft Credit: Dmitry Rukhlenko | Shutterstock The news is a welcome relief for Belavia when it comes to keeping its Boeing fleet running, with the ability to directly obtain spare parts again easing its maintenance concerns. As it happens, ch-aviation shows that only just over half of its overall fleet is made up of jets from the US planemaker: eight normal Boeing 737-800s, one private 737-800, one 737 MAX 8, one 737-300, and one 767-300ER. These 12 aircraft are joined by ten others from various non-Boeing manufacturers. For instance, on the Airbus side of things, three A330-200s are present, while Embraer is represented by one E175LR and four E195LRs. Belavia's other two aircraft that are currently listed by ch-aviation as being part of its present fleet are a pair of Bombardier private jets: one Challenge 850 and one Global Express XRS.