Phuket's high-season flight map gains another direct long-haul route this week. From Thursday 29 October 2026, Belavia Belarusian Airlines, the national carrier of Belarus, will fly scheduled services between Minsk and Phuket twice a week. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the government agency responsible for promoting tourism, confirmed the start date on 26 October in a release welcoming the airline's first scheduled flight from Minsk to Bangkok.
What has been confirmed
TAT says the Phuket service will use an Airbus A330-200 and add about 2,248 inbound seats a month. Belavia's press service told BelTA, the Belarusian state news agency, that from 29 October the regular Minsk to Phuket rotation would run twice weekly, leaving Minsk on Thursdays and Sundays and returning from Phuket on Fridays and Mondays.
The Bangkok route came first. According to TAT, inaugural flight B2 799 landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 17:05 and was greeted by a TAT delegation led by Suladda Sarutilavan, the agency's executive director for Europe. That route is weekly, on Sundays, with a 281-seat A330-200 configured with 18 business class and 263 economy seats.
This is a move from charters to a timetable rather than a first visit. TAT notes that Belavia flew charter flights to Phuket and to U-Tapao, the airport serving Pattaya and Rayong, from January 2026, then suspended them for the low season.
Why it matters for Phuket
Belarus is a small source market, but TAT is treating it as one worth growing. Its figures show 32,179 Belarusian arrivals in 2025, up 56.48 percent on 2024, and 23,769 between 1 January and 24 October 2026, up 1.25 percent on the same period last year. TAT projects 30,000 to 35,000 arrivals for the full year; that is a forecast, not a result. The agency says Eastern Europe is a priority under its 2027 Rebalance Market Portfolio strategy, which aims to spread Thailand's visitor base across more long-haul markets.
TAT also describes Belarusian visitors as long stayers who book winter trips well ahead and favour Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. For Phuket hotels, villa owners and tour operators, a scheduled route with published days is easier to sell around than a run of charters.
For residents, the practical effect is modest but real: more seats into Phuket during the busiest months, and a direct option for anyone with family, friends or business ties in Belarus who previously had to connect through another hub.
Before you book
New routes often see timetable tweaks in their first weeks, so check current days, times and fares directly with Belavia. Confirm your own entry requirements for Thailand through official Thai government channels for your nationality rather than relying on airline or agency summaries.
Sources: Tourism Authority of Thailand, TAT Newsroom (26 October 2026); BelTA, Belarusian Telegraph Agency, reporting Belavia's press service (15 July 2026).