Another airline is ready to resume flights from Ukraine
13 March 10:45
Air Baltic, which had been operating flights from key Ukrainian airports before the full-scale invasion, has expressed its readiness to return to work in Ukraine as soon as the airspace is reopened. According to the press service of the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development, the issue of resuming air traffic was the topic of a meeting between Air Baltic’s management and representatives of the ministry, Komersant ukrainskyi reports
They discussed the current state of civil aviation, opportunities to support and train Ukrainian specialists, as well as measures to minimize risks during the partial opening of the sky.
According to Deputy Minister Serhiy Derkach, the main priority now is to retain qualified personnel and maintain airport infrastructure. At the same time, safety remains a key issue: without creating the proper conditions for flight safety, it is impossible to resume air traffic.
“We have already prepared a comprehensive risk assessment and are currently working on it together with airlines and regulators,” emphasized Derkach.
Air Baltic confirms readiness to resume flights
Thomas Ramdahl, First Vice President of Air Baltic, confirmed that the company is interested in returning to the Ukrainian market. Until 2022, the carrier actively worked with Lviv and Boryspil international airports, serving tens of thousands of passengers.
In 2019 alone, Air Baltic carried almost 220 thousand passengers. In general, the company worked most actively with Lviv International Airport, and starting in 2020, flights from Boryspil International Airport were launched.
“We have consistently expressed our plans that airBaltic will be the first airline to return to Ukraine when it is safe to do so, and we are committed to this. The safety of our employees, passengers and operations will always be our highest priority, and following our second personal visit to Kyiv, preparations for our return are well underway. We look forward to restoring vital air links and contributing to the recovery of Ukraine’s aviation industry,” said Air Baltic’s First Vice President.
Wizz Air plans to resume flights to Ukraine shortly after any ceasefire with Russia is announced. The company will resume about 30 routes within six weeks.
Another low-cost airline , Ryanair, also said it would start flying to Ukraine after the war ends.
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Key conditions for opening the skies
The decision to resume air traffic in Ukraine depends on the security assessment. According to Dubrevsky, Boryspil airport can be reopened only after the State Aviation Administration makes a decision. This will only be possible if the level of air defense is recognized as sufficient to ensure flight safety.
“We are talking about safety, no one will take risks… we cannot risk the lives of passengers, crews, personnel, etc. This can only happen if we build a security architecture that guarantees safety on the ground, in the air, and along the route of the aircraft. And this work is underway. As for the military, today they have an understanding of what they need to do. We are working together with our foreign partners to build this structure, this architecture. If, for example, the military says that they give the go-ahead to fly, that a decision has been made, the State Aviation Administration will also give the go-ahead,” the Boryspil CEO emphasized.
Forecasts and plans
According to Dubrevsky, there is a high probability of receiving positive decisions from international aviation security agencies in the near future. He also recalled the statement of Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, who expressed his readiness to launch a program to resume flights from Ukraine within a month after the issuance of a security clearance.
“I will be optimistic, we have very high expectations for this year. I really hope that it will come under the slogan Fly, baby, fly!” said Dubrevsky.
How long will it take to resume flights?
The Boryspil CEO noted that 24 hours in the warm season and 48 hours in the winter are enough for immediate acceptance of an aircraft or technical overhaul of an aircraft.
The resumption of passenger traffic will take about three weeks.
Thus, Ukraine is confidently moving towards the return of civil aviation, and concrete decisions on opening the skies may appear in the near future.
