This month, 1,000 people chose to support the Kyiv Independent. Can we count on you, too?
Become a member
Skip to content
Edit post

Ryanair announces plans for post-war return to Ukraine, $3 billion investment

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk July 20, 2023 8:37 PM 2 min read
Michael O'Leary, Ryanair CEO, and Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy PM for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for the Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, on July 20. (Photo: Boryspil Airport)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Low cost airline Ryanair announced on July 20 its plans to return to the Ukrainian market within eight weeks of Ukrainian air space reopening. It plans to open 75 routes from Europe to Ukraine and base up to 30 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft worth over $3 billion at Ukraine's main airports.

The announcement came as three members of the company's leadership visited Boryspil International Aiport outside Kyiv to meet with representatives of Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa airports. Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov was also in attendance.

Like all other Ukrainian airports, Boryspil has been closed down since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO, said in Kyiv that "once the skies over Ukraine have reopened for commercial aviation, Ryanair will charge back into Ukraine linking the main Ukraine airports with over 20 EU capitals."

"Ukraine is a country of 40 million people, many of whom have been dispersed across Europe over the past year. We look forward to being able to reunite these families," he added.

According to a statement made by Boryspil airport, discussions had previously been held with Ryanair during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London in June. Boryspil notes that Ryanair is the first international airline whose executives have visited Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Ryanair was the second-largest airline operating in Ukraine prior to the beginning of the full-scale invasion, according to O'Leary. The biggest one in Ukraine was the privately-owned Ukraine International Airlines.

Apart from Kyiv, the airline also flew to Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Kherson. Two weeks before the invasion, Ryanair stopped flying to Kharkiv and Kherson. O'Leary stated that "Ryanair will return to serving those airports too, as soon as the infrastructure has been restored."

According to Ukrainska Pravda, O'Leary said in April that Ryanair is actively looking for ways to return to the Ukrainian market. It employs around 60 pilots and 80 crew members from Ukraine, most of whom work from the company's bases in Poland.  

Ukrainian airspace has been closed to civilian aircraft since the full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022. Ukraine's state-run air traffic enterprise, Ukraerorukh, has stated that it will reopen after the war ends.

Ukraerorukh: Ukrainian airspace will reopen following wartime victory
Ukraine’s state-run air traffic enterprise, Ukraerorukh, disputed Eurocontrol’s prediction that Ukrainian airspace would remain closed until 2029, saying that it will reopen after the war ends.
Let’s see how far we can go?
We’ve been amazed by your support. We’ve reached our initial goal of finding 1,000 new paying members. We still have till the end of our birthday campaign — with more support, we can do even more good journalism. Over 13,000 people are standing behind us. Can we count on you, too?
Show us support this birthday month
Become a member
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

1:50 PM  (Updated: )

Reuters reports Assad may have died in plane crash, later removes report.

Reuters on Dec. 8 reported, citing its Syrian sources that "there was a very high probability that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may have been killed in a plane crash" as he was fleeing Damascus following its capture by rebels. Reuters later deleted the information from its reporting.
11:50 PM

US announces $988 million military aid package for Ukraine.

The latest aid package will be pulled through the remaining $2 billion in funding from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) — a Pentagon-led program for supplying arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.