Are the skies of Ukraine on the way to reopening?
A delegation from the Baltic airline airBaltic visited Ukraine this week, where it held discussions with local officials about renewing Routes between the Baltic states and Kyiv and Lviv. The focus of the discussion was on the safety-security conditions that would allow the company to renew its flights to Ukraine.
During the visit, company representatives met with senior officials in the Ukrainian Ministry for Regional Development, representatives of Boryspil International Airport, and the Latvian embassy in Ukraine.
At airBaltic, they emphasized that "the company is committed to renewing its regular flights to Ukraine immediately upon the opening of the airspace and obtaining all necessary approvals. As part of the preparations, a delegation from the company visited Kyiv this week and met with official representatives to promote the renewal of the Routes. As previously stated, the company is ready to reintegrate Kyiv and Lviv into its Route network immediately upon the opening of the skies."
Kyiv. Photo: Shutterstock The company noted that in addition to the Routes from Riga, airBaltic is interested in opening Routes between Vilnius in Lithuania and Tallinn in Estonia to Kyiv.
Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: "We intend to be the first airline to return to operate in Ukraine when it becomes possible. The safety of our passengers, employees, and operations is our top priority, and we are preparing to resume operations in Kyiv and contribute to the recovery of aviation in Ukraine."
Serhiy Drekts', Deputy Minister for Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine:
"We appreciate the cooperation and commitment of airBaltic to renew ties with Ukraine when conditions allow. We welcome its willingness to expand its activities and reconnect Ukraine to Europe as part of the recovery of our aviation sector."
Olexiy Dovravskiy, CEO of Boryspil International Airport: "The visit marks an important step toward renewing Ukraine's air links with the world after the war. We appreciate airBaltic's trust and continue working together."
In addition to preparing to renew flights, airBaltic has started operating its website in Ukrainian to facilitate the customer base that speaks Ukrainian.