Belarus Approves Draft Air Services Agreement with the Maldives

Belarus has approved a draft intergovernmental air services agreement with the Maldives as the basis for negotiations between the two governments.

President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 361 on 14 October 2026, according to an announcement on the official website of the Belarusian president. The decree approves the draft for use in talks with the Maldivian side.

The presidential press service says the document sets the conditions for flights, and for boarding and disembarking passengers, on international passenger, cargo and mail services. It covers both commercial and non-commercial flights.

The decree authorises Belarus’s Ministry of Transport and Communications to negotiate the draft and to sign the agreement.

Not Yet Agreed

The decree is a step in Belarus’s internal approval process. It does not conclude an agreement. The Maldivian government must still negotiate the text, and both sides must sign it.

The announcement does not say when talks will start or where they will be held. It does not mention traffic rights, flight frequencies, designated airlines or routes. The full text of the decree and the draft had not been published on the president’s website by 15 October.

Visa Waiver Signed in September

The decree follows a visa waiver agreement signed in September.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov and Maldivian Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam signed an intergovernmental agreement on a mutual visa waiver in New York, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Maldives Today reported the signing on 25 September.

According to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry’s account, published on the official website of the Republic of Belarus on 24 September, the two ministers expressed readiness to develop the legal framework between the countries, “including in the field of air services”. They also named tourism, education, medical training and supplies of Belarusian food products as areas for cooperation.

Planned Belavia Flights

Visit Maldives Corporation, the state tourism promotion company, said on 11 September that Belavia, the Belarusian national airline, was scheduled to begin direct flights between Belarus and the Maldives in December 2026. The announcement does not give a start date, frequency or schedule.

The corporation held an online briefing with Belavia on 10 September for 100 Belarusian travel trade representatives. The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and Maldives Airports Company Limited were partners in the session. Belavia presented its plans for the route.

Visit Maldives said Belarusian travellers currently reach the Maldives through connections on airlines including Aeroflot, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Air Astana.

Visitor Numbers

Belarus is a small source market for the Maldives. Visit Maldives recorded 7,443 arrivals from Belarus in 2025, up from 6,810 in 2024, 5,740 in 2023 and 4,080 in 2022.

Between January and June 2026, the Maldives recorded 3,257 arrivals from Belarus, or 0.4 per cent of all tourist arrivals in that period. Visit Maldives said the Belarusian market’s peak travel periods are October to December and January to March.