Latvian airline Air Baltic plans to resume flights to Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa as soon as Ukraine's airspace reopens, the airline announced on March 26 after a visit to Kyiv's Boryspil airport.
The skies over Ukraine have been closed to civilian aviation since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, meaning that passenger transport in or out of the country is only possible via road or rail.
Air Baltic CEO Martin Gauss said that he met with Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov at Boryspil on March 25, along with the Boryspil management team and the team of Lviv airport.
The Air Baltic delegation inspected the airport's infrastructure, equipment, and ability to resume flights.
"Impressive preparations have been made, and Boryspil International Airport is renewed and ready to welcome millions of passengers again," Gauss said on X.
"We presented our plans to reconnect Ukraine with the world by air and as soon as the airspace is open and safe."
"Air Baltic will contribute to the rebuilding of Ukraine's aviation," Gauss said.
Boryspil airport said that Air Baltic "is planning to launch flights to Kyiv, Lviv, followed by flights to Odesa, connecting these cities with the Baltic capitals and major European cities via Riga."
According to the airport, Air Baltic operated 3,644 flights from Boryspil between 2019 and 2021, carrying 285,600 passengers.
Low-cost airline Ryanair announced in July 2023 its plans to return to the Ukrainian market within eight weeks of Ukrainian air space reopening.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary announced that his company plans to open 75 routes from Europe to Ukraine once the airspace is declared safe.
Ryanair was the second-largest airline operating in Ukraine prior to the beginning of the full-scale invasion, after Ukraine International Airlines, according to O'Leary.
Dominic Culverwell
(Updated: )
