One of the aircraft of Belavia now bears the name of Anatoly Gusarov

The most modern aircraft of Belavia, Boeing 737-8, was named after the first general director Anatoly Nikolaevich Gusarov who headed the airline for 25 years. The decision to name the aircraft after Anatoly Gusarov was initiated by working collective of the airline and supported by the Aviation Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus.
The commemorative inscription “Anatoly Gusarov” is made in gray color and is located on the fuselage nose section on the left side.
“It is impossible to talk about the history of Belavia and its achievements without mentioning Anatoly Nikolaevich”, - noted Igor Cherginets, General Director of Belavia. – “He created the company almost from scratch, he was not just a leader, but an example to follow. Anatoly Nikolaevich motivated the employees with his determination and faith in people. He believed in the team, he created; he knew how to choose the most optimal way to achieve the goal. Taking into account the significance of the personality of Anatoly Nikolaevich for the airline, we decided to give his name to one of the aircraft, which, as he believed should symbolize the beginning of a new stage in the development of the airline”.
Anatoly Nikolaevich Gusarov headed the airline of Belavia in 1996 and led it for 25 years – until 2021.
«At the time of creation, the airline operated Soviet-made aircraft Yak-40, An-24, An-26, Tu-134, Tu-154 and carried about 400 thousand passengers a year.
Profound knowledge of civil aviation development processes allowed Anatoly Nikolaevich to determine the strategically important directions for Belavia: modernization of the aircraft fleet, training of flight and technical personnel, implementation of information technologies, formation of a team of specialists in the field of management. Under his leadership the airline became a full-fledged member of International Air Transport Association (IATA), was among the first in CIS countries to introduce the technology of an electronic passenger ticket, actively developed the route network and carried out the fleet modernization. Thus, in 2021 a phased decommissioning of obsolete Soviet-made aircraft began, and since 2003, a transition to the Western-made aircraft began. Over 25 years, under the leadership of Anatoly Gusarov, the fleet has been updated to modern Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-500, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-8, Embraer 175, Embraer 195, and the number of passengers carried has increased many times over. The acquisition of Boeing 737-8 became the most significant project, which was implemented under the leadership of Anatoly Nikolaevich Gusarov.
In January 2021, Anatoly Nikolaevich Gusarov, for health reasons, was forced to leave the post of General Director of the airline of Belavia, and in July 2021 he passed away.
The entire staff of the airline cherishes the bright memory of its first leader, whose name will now be borne by the aircraft of the airline.