airBaltic is optimistic about the return of flights to Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa in Ukraine as soon as the country’s airspace is reopened and declared safe after a visit to and thorough inspection of Boryspil Airport in Kyiv.
In attendance were Martin Gauss, CEO and President of airBaltic, Mantas Vrubliauskas, Vice President for Network Development and Maria Radchenko, Head of Representative office in Ukraine.
The Latvian airline used to fly to Boryspil, Kyiv, before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine commenced in February 2022 and closed Ukrainian airspace. From 2019-2021, it operated 3,644 international flights from the airport and carried 285,000 passengers between Riga and Boryspil. The total share of the Ukrainian airport’s passenger traffic reached 80% in 2021.
Infrastructure, equipment and aviation readiness were all assessed – once an acceptable level of flight safety is ensured. Parties also discussed options for additional security measures and prerequisites for airBaltic to resume flights to Ukraine.
During the visit, Martin Gauss, CEO and President of airBaltic, said: “We are eager to take an active part in the resumption of air traffic to Ukraine, as we understand that aviation and airports are a crucial engine for the recovery of the Ukrainian economy.”
Oleksiy Dubrevskyy, Boryspil Airport’s CEO, added: “The visit to our airport by the top management of airBaltic is an essential phase in the implementation of the process of future flight resumption, along with building a reliable architecture for flight safety and passenger security, maintaining airport infrastructure and retention of highly qualified personnel, and maintaining the airport’s certified activities.”
