The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has formalised the permanent lifting of sanctions on Belavia (B2, Minsk National) by removing it from the list of specially designated nationals (SDN) on November 4.
By removing the Belarusian flag carrier from the SDN list, the US government will now allow all US entities and individuals to do business with the airline. The decision confirms the tentative suspension of the sanctions in early September 2025, which already authorised those transactions. However, Belavia later said that the tentative nature of the suspension was still posing problems.
OFAC also lifted sanctions on the airline’s Challenger 850, EW-301PJ (msn 8057), which it operates on behalf of the government.
Concurrently, the US regulator issued a general licence suspending sanctions on three other aircraft operated by Belavia on behalf of the government: B737-800(BBJ) EW-001PA (msn 33079), B767-300ER EW-001PB (msn 33968), and AW139 EW-001PH (msn 31835).
The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security continues to sanction the B737-800(BBJ) and prohibits Belavia from operating its other Boeing aircraft to, among other countries, Russia.
OFAC sanctions target transactions with designated entities, while BIS sanctions purport to prevent the designated companies and individuals from using identified US-made assets.
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