On June 14, 2018, the administrative buildings and terminals of Kyiv International Airport named after Igor Sikorsky was blocked by National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) personnel equipped with automatic weapons. From 10:00 a.m. on June 14 to 05:00 a.m. on June 15, during the 19 hours, the management of municipally owned Kyiv International Airport and the Master-Avia company, including the heads of departments, and senior employees, were kept in their own offices without any means of communication and the possibility of coordinating the work of the airport. As a result, the work of both the municipal company and the Master-Avia private company, which is engaged in the development and maintenance of the airport, was blocked.
NABU’s operation resulted in the inability to prevent an accident that occurred with a plane operated by the BRAVO airlines, which performed the Antalya-Kyiv flight. During landing amid a violent storm, the airplane carrying 169 passengers aboard overshot runway and landed on its belly. The situation was complicated by the increased threat of an explosion: there were four tonnes of aviation fuel on board, there was a threat to the lives and health of the passengers. At that time, the airport’s management, which was, in fact, hostage to the security forces, was not able to take measures that are appropriate to that weather condition. Only thanks to the coordinated work of the airport’s rescue services, the situation was under control and nobody was injured as a result of the incident. This was the first case registered within 94 years of the airport’s work.
The airport’s management did not publish the details of the incident before because of the investigation of the aviation event by a special commission. However, as there is a probability that raids and other investigative measures may continue, the team of Kyiv International Airport considers it is their duty to warn that in case of new attempts to block the airport’s work by the security forces, it will suspend handling flights for the sake of the safety of passengers and crews. The safety of passengers remains a priority for the company.
Currently, the airfield and runway are on the balance sheets of municipally owned International Airport Kyiv. Master-Avia owns terminals and an apron. There was no reason for the use of force: the company’s activities are open and transparent, the management is always ready for constructive interaction with the control authorities and for required procedures. However, instead of asking for the necessary documentation, the Bureau’s agents chose a different path – the seizure of buildings, keeping the management and personnel without means of communication, searches both at the airport and in apartments in the top managers, seizure of documents and things, including personal ones, the blocking of activity and communications in the strictly policed security facility. Such actions by state authorities negatively affect the airport’s safety and the investment attractiveness of Ukraine.
Kyiv International Airport operates strictly in accordance with international and Ukrainian legislation and today it is one of the largest taxpayers in the capital among municipally owned enterprises. Master-Avia has invested more than $50 million in the creation of new airport infrastructure, and still spends all available resources on the repayment of a loan and the development of the only international airport located directly in Kyiv.
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In 2010, an investment tender was held under the government program for the development of Ukrainian aviation infrastructure Master-Avia LLC won the tender. The company has concluded an agreement for the lease of the airport’s property for 49 years. The second bidder, a company with Russian roots, unsuccessfully challenged the results of the tender in courts of all instances.
Today, Kyiv International Airport, being operated by Master-Avia, cooperates with more than 40 airlines, performing flights to 140 cities in 48 countries. Every month, about 2,500 flights are operated, and almost two million passengers are served annually. Investment in the airport exceeds $50 million. More than 10,000 jobs have been created. Kyiv International Airport is the second largest taxpayer among municipally owned companies.
AIRPORT, COMPANY, INVESTIGATION, MASTER-AVIA, NABU, RELATION, SIKORSKY
In June 2018, passenger flow of the Kharkiv international airport totaled 114,600 people, which is 38% up year-over-year.
The press service of the airport reported that this is a record breaking figure for the airport – first its monthly passenger flow exceeded 100,000 people.
The most popular destinations in June were Istanbul (Pegasus, Turkish Airlines), Kyiv (UIA), Warsaw (LOT), Tel Aviv (UIA), Dortmund (WizzAir), Minsk (Belavia), Milan (UIA), Batumi (Myway Airlines, Yanair), Katowice (WizzAir), Tbilisi (Myway Airlines) and Lublin (Bravo Airways).
In May 2018, passenger flow of the airport was 88,900, which is 5% more than a year ago (84,400). The share of passengers on international flights was 80%.
Total passenger flow of the airport in January-June 2018 totaled 440,200 people, which is 21% more than a year ago (364,100 people).
Kharkiv airport has a runway 2,500 meters long and 50 meters wide. There are two passenger terminals with the capacity of 100 and 650 people on its territory.
DCH manages the airport through New Systems AM.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a project on organization of passenger traffic between Kyiv city and the Boryspil international airport. It will take 13 months and a half to implement the project, which cost is UAH 583.238 million (in the prices as of May 2, 2018). According to the document, which has been sent to Interfax-Ukraine, construction works would cost UAH 428.478 million, equipment and furniture – UAH 37.755 million and other expenses – UAH 117 million.
The total exploitation length of the section between Kyiv Pasazhysky station and Boryspil airport is 37.4 km. The project is divided into two stages. The cost of the first stage is UAH 502.947 million. It is planned to build 3.7 km of railway track, one new stop and a flyover railway line of 272 meters long in six months.
In addition, two passenger platforms with open-door passenger shelters near Terminal D of the airport and an open-door gallery between the passenger shelter and Terminal D of 150 meters long.
The cost of the second stage is UAH 80.291 million. A new stop, a high passenger platform near the flyover railway line of 160 meters longs will be built in seven months and a half.
Ukraine, in particular the Boryspil international airport, have good opportunities for creating an aircraft servicing site in the conditions of a shortage of these services in Europe, and the largest European low cost airline Ryanair showed its interest in these opportunities, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has said.
“In Europe, all slots are booked for two years ahead,” he said at a meeting in the European Business Association (EBA) on Thursday.
Omelyan said that in the middle of July representatives of Ryanair will arrive in Kyiv and they will get acquainted with the site for the possible placement of this center.
In his opinion, there are enough specialists in Ukraine to provide these services, in particular, these are new opportunities for Antonov State Enterprise.
At the same time, the minister said that there are barriers to the creation of this servicing center, in particular, the legislation sets high duties on the import of spare parts.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary in May this year said that the airline is considering the possibility of opening of Ukraine’s own data center, and in the long term it is also interested in the opening of the center for servicing aircraft in Ukraine. An examination of the regulation of these activities in Ukraine, including by the European authorities, should be conducted.
There is a high probability that as early as 2018 a new cargo terminal will be launched at Boryspil International Airport, Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan has said following talks with a large international air cargo operator hold on June 20.
“It is realistic: next year it should be launched,” he said at a meeting at the European Business Association in Kyiv.
The minister explained that there are three options for implementing this project: in one of the terminals of Boryspil airport, on the location of Ukroboronprom or one of private land sites adjacent to the airport.
According to him, the company with which the negotiations were conducted plans to study all these possibilities. Omelyan did not reveal its name. He estimated the amount of investment in the project at $30-100 million depending on the stages of its launch.
The minister said the demand for these services in Ukraine has grown exponentially over the past five years.
“There is actually no cargo terminal at Boryspil. Only Ukrposhta loaded its capacity,” the minister said.
According to him, if two years ago the airport handled one tonne of cargo, now it is 160 tonnes a day.
Contractor NAN LLC (Kharkiv) plans to complete construction of a parking area near Terminal D of the Boryspil International Airport (Kyiv) in August 2018, First Deputy Director General of the airport Yevhen Dykhne has told Interfax-Ukraine.
“The contractor expects to complete the work in August, which will be the first stage of the parking area for more than 1,000 cars,” he said on the sidelines of a forum dedicated to cybersecurity in Kyiv on Tuesday.
He also said that the airport allocated UAH 440 million for the implementation of this project at this stage.
“Further we will consider the efficiency of this parking area, how much it is necessary to continue the second stage of the parking area in the short term, because the number of parking lots in the project is designed with a large margin,” he said.
