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Already in autumn, the first flight will be made not by the Ukrainian, but by the European airline SkyUp (the name of the company is currently unknown). In order to survive, SkyUp Airlines plans to open its own airline in the EU in the fall. At the first stage, it will perform charter flights for European tour operators, says the article fortes.ua
In the winter of February 24, the pilots of the SkyUp Airlines plane lacked 20 minutes to take the last plane of the airline out of Ukraine through the closed sky - the war began. SkyUp managed to transport the other 10 planes to Europe (another four vessels were forced to give up by the lessors).
Initially, these will be flights from the Baltic countries, Moldova, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Airlines do not exclude flights from Germany and Austria. The main part of the routes will be traditional tourist destinations, such as Turkey and Egypt. Plus exotic destinations like Tanzania.
Undoubtedly, a significant volume of flights will be performed for our group of companies - the tour operator Join Up Baltics, Join UP Romania and Join UP Poland, - says Ludmila Slobodianyuk.
The second stage - from the end of March 2023, when the aviation summer season begins, SkyUp wants to launch regular flights from EU countries.
The long-planned strategic intention will be realized - the creation of a full-fledged European airline that will operate in the EU, - says Slobodyaniuk.
European SkyUp will perform the main part of flights outside the EU and, as soon as it becomes possible, to Ukraine.
According to Slobodyaniuk, they plan to start selling tickets in November-December. By the beginning of the new tourist season, they want to increase the number of planes to 19 (three will be received at the end of this year, five more next year).
The European market is not easy for expansion - there is a lot of competition, and rising fuel prices make business unpredictable, says the former head of the air transport department of the Ministry of Infrastructure Valentyn Zgurskyi. However, having assimilated into the European market, running routes and gaining experience there, after the end of the war, they will be able to resume flights to Ukraine faster than other Ukrainian carriers and take a leading position, adds Zgurskyi.
Source: Lowcost Avia