Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv) has reported that due to the impossibility of operating international flights from Ukraine, five An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft are temporarily based at the airport in Leipzig (Germany).
“The work of the branch of the air transport division (ATP) of the Antonov State Enterprise, known in the world as the Antonov Airlines, has been organized there, and a base has been equipped for the maintenance of these aircraft,” the company said on Facebook.
Antonov said that this allows the company to continue fulfilling commercial and government orders for the transportation of super-heavy and oversized cargo.
“After the victory over the Russian invaders and the completion of a set of works to restore the efficiency of the Kyiv-Antonov-2 airport, it will again become the base for the Ruslan fleet of Antonov Airlines,” the company added.
As reported, due to Russian hostile actions, the Antonov base in Hostomel was destroyed, the base at Sviatoshyn was damaged, An-26, An-74 aircraft and the flagship of the world aviation fleet An-225 Mriya were destroyed.
In addition, according to Antonov State Enterprise, five more aircraft were damaged – An-12, An-22, An-28, An-132D and An-124-100-150.
The company said that on the eve of the Russian invasion, five An-124 aircraft were withdrawn from Ukraine; An-26, An-74 and An-225 Mriya aircraft were also ready to leave the country on February 24.
Antonov State Enterprise initiated the foundation of the International Fund for the revival of the An-225 Mriya transport aircraft.
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA, Kyiv) has reached an agreement on wet-leasing of medium-haul Boeing 737-900 aircraft to the Latvian carrier airBaltic, the Ukrainian carrier said.
From May 1, the aircraft and crews of the Ukrainian airline will begin to be based at Riga Airport to serve the partner flight network, UIA said in a statement on Monday.
At the same time, it is specified that the UIA aircraft will provide connection to a number of European airBaltic destinations. In particular, the plane is booked for flights to Berlin, Madrid, Brussels, Oslo, Copenhagen and other destinations.
According to the press release, four crews of the Ukrainian carrier (28 people in total) will be involved in the operational work of the UIA aircraft on the partners’ routes. The aircraft will operate flights with the UIA corporate color and livery preserved, as well as the crews will work in the original uniform of the Ukrainian airline.
According to the terms of the contract, a service representative of the Latvian carrier will be present on each UIA flight on airBaltic routes.
“We are sincerely glad that our European partners are helping both the Ukrainian state and businesses with a clear, absolutely transparent support for Ukraine. This is especially true amid recent UIA compliance decision not to wet-lease its aircraft to operators who continue flying to Russia. Let this narrow down the scope of opportunities, but it is fully consistent with our morals,” UIA CEO Yevhen Dykhne is quoted in the message.
The deadline for operation of the UIA aircraft in the airBaltic fleet is currently being specified by partners.
Maintenance of Boeing 737-900 as part of the airBaltic fleet will be carried out by UIA foreign contractors.
The Ukrainian airline, as a long-term IOSA certified operator, will ensure operation in accordance with all international operational safety standards.
Ukrainian airports in January 2022, according to recent data, served almost 1.226 million passengers, which is 135.3% more than in the same month last year.
According to the website of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine, in international traffic, passenger traffic of airports increased by 143.8% in January of this year, to 1.103 million people.
Ukrainian airlines served 515,500 people during the reporting period (79.6% more). In particular, 458,600 people were transported in international traffic (81% more).
At the same time, in January of this year, the airlines operated 4,700 commercial flights (an increase of 51.6%), including 3,600 international ones (56.5% more).
The largest number of flights in the airspace of Ukraine in 2021 among Ukrainian air carriers was performed by Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise (UkSATSE) reported on its Facebook page.
According to the company’s data, SkyUp is in second place. The top five also included Windrose, Azur Air, and Bees Airline.
Among foreign airlines, Turkish Airlines took the first place in the number of flights in 2021. The second is Wizz Air, the third is Ryanair. LOT, Pegasus Airlines, Belavia, Qatar Airways, FlyDubai, Lufthansa and Enter Air followed them.
As reported with reference to UkSATSE, 230,500 flights were performed in the airspace of Ukraine in 2021, which is 62.3% more than in 2020 and 31.2% less than in the pre-crisis 2019.
Ukrainian airlines performed 81,700 flights in 2021 (64.4% more than in 2020 and 25.5% less than in 2019), foreign airlines performed 148,700 flights (61.2% more and 34.1% less respectively).
The first flight of the national air carrier Ukrainian National Airlines (UNA) will be in 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“The first flight of the national carrier will be performed in 2022. By 2025, the airline’s fleet will be completed – at least 20 aircraft. Regular flights, both internal and external, will be launched,” the head of state said, speaking in the Verkhovna Rada with his annual nation address.
He also added that the Ukrainian carrier should be seen not only in Ukraine, but all over the world. And this, according to him, will be greatly helped by the Common Aviation Area Agreement, which Ukraine signed with the European Union.
“Therefore, UNA will definitely land in the EU. And such great plans are really inspiring,” he said.
Speaking about the construction of airports, the president said that now it is underway in 16 cities of the country. “We also want to build an international airport in Zakarpattia region, between Uzhgorod and Mukachevo, and two airports in eastern Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
Airports of Ukraine in January-August 2021, according to operational data, serviced 9.77 million passengers, which is 65.7% more than in January-August 2020.
As reported on the website of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine on Thursday, international passenger traffic of airports for the specified period grew by 69.2%, to 8.831 million people.
Ukrainian airlines served 6.089 million people in the first eight months of 2021, which is 96.1% more than in the first eight months of 2020, including international traffic of 5.626 million people (more than doubled).
At the same time, in January-July 2021, airlines performed 47,800 commercial flights (an increase of 68.9%), including 38,800 international (a rise of 70.9%).
As reported, at the end of 2020, Ukrainian airports serviced 8.664 million passengers, which is 64.4% less than in 2019.
