A landmark moment: Belavia has commissioned a new type of aircraft, the wide–body Airbus A330-200

A presentation of a new type of Belavia aircraft, the Airbus A330–200, took place at Minsk National Airport.

This is a new milestone both for the airline and for the civil aviation of sovereign Belarus as a whole: until now, there have been no long-haul aircraft capable of carrying passengers over long distances in the transport sector of Belarus. Today, we can say that the situation has changed fundamentally: the airline's fleet includes 3 wide–body Airbus A330-200.

"New opportunities are now opening up for passengers," said Igor Tcherginets, Director General of Belavia Airlines. – The flight range of this aircraft reaches 12,000 km. For comparison, the Boeing 737-8 – 6,570 kilometers. Thus, direct flights from Minsk to popular resorts, particularly in Southeast Asian countries, will become a real prospect for Belarusians, not a dream."
The airline has been preparing for a long time to accept a new type of aircraft into the fleet. It was necessary to set up many processes and ensure the retraining of the best personnel in order to traditionally ensure compliance with high standards, complete flight safety and comfort. 
The most experienced employees of the aviation detachment, flight attendants, aviation technical base, and ground handling complex were selected for retraining and subsequent work on the Airbus A330-200. The specialists underwent theoretical and practical retraining in Belarusian and foreign training centers. The airline has developed new algorithms for various tasks, such as maintenance, check-in, baggage loading, on-board service, and many others.

Retraining and additional training is a mandatory process when mastering new types of aircraft in general, and when working with the Airbus A330–200 in particular: this aircraft differs significantly from other representatives of the Belavia fleet – the Boeing and Embraer family of aircraft.
The A330-200 is available with three engine configurations. Belavia's aircraft are equipped with the most powerful of them, the Rolls-Royce Trent 700. This type of engine provides high efficiency, low noise, long range, high reliability and long service life. 

To assess the scale of the new type of aircraft, you can compare its characteristics with other aircraft in the fleet. For example, the wingspan of the Airbus is 60 meters, and that of a Boeing 737-8 is 39.5 m. The maximum take–off weight of the aircraft is 233,000 kg.

This type of aircraft allows you to transfer many more passengers. The maximum load is 281 passengers (18 seats in business class, 263 seats in economy class). The seats in the Airbus A330-200 business class are characterized by increased comfort: they are laid out in a horizontal position and have many additional options for passenger convenience. The economy class cabin has an increased space between the rows, which allows passengers to feel free and relaxed during the flight. 

Another interesting fact: the diameter of the engine fan is 2.47 meters, which is comparable to the width of the Embraer 195 fuselage – 2.74 meters.
The weight of the fuel refueled in the Airbus A330-200 is more than the weight of any aircraft operated by the airline today. The classic airplane steering wheels have been replaced with sidesticks.

With the introduction of the Airbus A330 - 200 in the fleet, the airline will be able to meet ambitious demands for cargo transportation. Compared to the Boeing 737-8, the load capacity of the Airbus A330-200 is almost 6 times higher (3.5 tons and 20 tons, respectively). If you delve into the facts, the A330-200 makes it possible to transport bulky goods, as well as those sensitive to low temperatures.

Belavia is fully prepared to implement large-scale plans both in terms of passenger transportation and cargo transportation.