Having never flown on a Russian airliner I took the opportunity at the end of last year to book a ticket with Merlintour on their fourth Belarus Aviation Tour, primarily for the chance to fly on what was planned to be the final scheduled service of a Tupolev Tu-154 in Europe. The flight was to be operated by Belavia on 29th May between Geneva and Minsk.

Merlintour are good at knowing what enthusiasts want and, unlike other aviation tour companies, allow you to completely personalise what you do. So, whilst they were offering additional flights on an Antonov 12 and Ilyushin 76, the prices were a little steep for me. So I explained what I wanted and they were able to provide me a tailored tour that included a window seat on the Tu-154 flight, a city tour of Minsk, a hotel for the night, a flight with Belavia to Amsterdam, and an onward connection to Durham Tees Valley for less than 400 Euros. 

The first challenge was getting to Geneva. I cashed in some Avios to travel there with British Airways from Newcastle, via Heathrow, the day before the tour. I also found a good price at the airport Holiday Inn Express.

When the day finally arrived I was on the first train out of Darlington to get to Newcastle, followed by the Metro to the airport. I'd checked in online, so it was just a case of grabbing a bite to eat before boarding A319 G-EUPF for the quick hop down to Heathrow. Nothing of interest seen at Newcastle apart from a gaggle of Geordies knocking back pitchers in the bar.

At Heathrow I had just over an hour, so found a spot in Terminal 5 with a view of both runways. Most of British Airways' A380s and 787s were present, and other aircraft of note included a Qatar Airways A380, a pair of United 787s, and an Air Canada A319.

My flight to Geneva was on A320 G-EUYX, which has recently been fitted with sharklets. In a little over an hour we were passing low over the mountains on approach over Lake Geneva in glorious sunshine. 

I checked into the Holiday Inn hotel, which is a 10 minute walk from the terminal. I was kindly provided with a pre-paid local transport pass which meant I was soon on a bus towards the end of runway 23 to photograph arrivals and departures before the sun moved too far overhead. At this end you can also see the longer-term parking for biz jets, with sad-looking Jetstar HB-JGK pushed into a corner. I retraced my bus journey to the runway 05 end, but aircraft were too high by this point for any useful photographs. Nevertheless, there are good views over the Tag Aviation ramp which is always full of bizjets.

The next day we were to be at check-in for 9am. When I arrived there was already a long line of people waiting, and most were clearly there as part of the tour, with aviation t-shirts, cameras, and a variety of languages being spoken. I made my way to the gate for 10.30am and it was already rammed with people chatting excitedly and waiting to board. Our aircraft was clearly visible parked at a remote stand near the cargo apron, having recently arrived from Minsk.

Eventually boarding was called and we travelled to the aircraft by bus. Passengers were allowed off ten at a time so as to give everyone chance to take their photos and videos. The captain was standing near the steps greeting passengers and posing for selfies! 

Our aircraft for the trip was EW-85748. I boarded via the P1 door and slowly made my way to seat 23A in the rear cabin. The aircraft felt like a museum piece, despite only being built in 1994. The seats didn't feel very sturdy and the ceilings were low. The noise of the APU was as loud as many modern aircraft at full thrust, but my view was perfect over the wing.

We sat for a long time due to missing our takeoff slot; having so many enthusiasts taking pictures had delayed boarding. So eventually we departed around 12.30pm, taxying under a water cannon salute from the airport fire service to mark the event. The take-off felt powerful and noisy but was followed by a shallow climb towards France, before turning back over the lake and routing alongside the Alps. 

Once released, passengers blocked the aisle as they swapped seats and took photographs and videos of everything. Belarus media were on board interviewing passengers for TV, and Merlintour auctioned off three models of the aircraft. Eventually the crew got us all to sit down and served a lunch service of (burnt) chicken or beef with rice, followed by some knock-off Russian Champagne and watery coffee. It didn't matter - the view and atmosphere were great.

The flight lasted around 2 hours 40 minutes. We descended quickly and approached Minsk National Airport from the south, deploying reverse thrust before touchdown, and again experiencing the scream of the engines as we slowed. We taxied to a remote stand, where another water cannon salute greeted us as more media filmed from the ramp. 

Regular passengers on the flight were deplaned first, and then all Merlintour guests were shepherded onto waiting airport buses for a quick tour of the airport ramps. We stopped first near a line of Belavia 737s, Gomelavia An-26s, and a Ruby Star An-12, being allowed off the buses for photographs. Sadly we were not allowed to visit the remote ramp where 12 Ilyshin 76s, two Tu-154s, an An-12 and a 747-200 were located because the 747 was being loaded with "sensitive military equipment". Most could be read off from a distance, however.

Once through immigration the group were taken to the airport's conference room where Belavia's Commercial Director and our pilot gave a lengthy presentation on the airline, before those of us booked on the city tour were sent off on a coach around the city via the nice collection of Russian airliners preserved outside the airport terminal.

Everyone convened at the hotel booked for us for a quick check-in, and then another bus journey to a nearby bar where the outdoor terrace had been reserved for us with help-yourself beer on tap and a large buffet! It was a good opportunity to get to know some of the group members.

The next morning I was back in reception for 6.30am along with around 40 others from the tour to catch our bus back to the airport. Most were heading for an An-12 flight, but I was checking in for my flight to Amsterdam. I had a quick look around the airport and used some of the crazy Monopoly money up on coffee and water, before boarding Embraer 195 EW-399PO for the 2 hour 30 minute flight.

With Saturdays only having the late night connection to Teesside I had around ten hours in Amsterdam, so spent much of the time on the airport terrace. I went to find the DC-9 forward fuselage near the terminal entrance. I also took the bus to the nearby Aviation Megastore for a mooch around the huge range of stock (it has a DC-3 cockpit inside).

Back at the airport I opted for some more time on the terrace. Not many highlights in Amsterdam beyond the usual, but plenty of gap fillers and some good photographs. Then time came to head back to departures to find some food before boarding PH-KZM in the new colours for the quick flight across the North Sea to Durham Tees Valley.