The announcement is seen as both a symbolic and practical step toward the eventual return to normalcy in the region. LOT suspended its flights to Ukraine shortly after Russia’s invasion of the country in February 2022 that led to the closure of Ukrainian airspace to commercial traffic.

Now, more than three years later, the Polish flag carrier is preparing to relaunch its Ukrainian routes, beginning with the capital Kyiv and Lviv, a major cultural and economic hub in western Ukraine. Lviv is situated near the Polish border in the far west of the country and Kyiv is int the north-central region. Ukraine spans over 1,300 kilometres from east to west, making air transport crucial for economic recovery and national cohesion.

Lviv and Uzhhorod airports have been identified as possible early reopening locations, while Boryspil Airport, located near Kyiv, has indicated that it could be operational again within a month of receiving airspace clearance.

According to LOT, the relaunch is about more than just restoring vital links between the two countries; it is also about rekindling the network of connections that will stimulate economic growth, support the creative industries and boost mobility for citizens on both sides of the border. 

LOT’s plans go beyond simply restoring its pre-2022 network. The airline is planning to expand its services to regional airports across Ukraine and is devising an ambitious plan to reconnect Ukraine with the rest of Europe, according to industry sources cited by Avianews. The routes will be operated using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which can carry up to 186 passengers.

Estimates suggest that the resumption of flights could directly benefit around 800,000 people, primarily Ukrainians living in Poland. Before the 2022 invasion, Poland was already home to one of the largest Ukrainian expatriate communities in Europe, with an estimated 1.3 to 1.5 million Ukrainians among the country’s two million foreign residents. Following the outbreak of war, more than 5.4 million Ukrainian refugees had crossed the border, and as of May 2025, nearly one million Ukrainian refugees still remain in Poland.

The war has severely impacted trade, tourism and business exchanges. Re-establishing air connectivity is expected to play a key role in rebuilding Ukraine’s economy and offering both its citizens and the international community a sense of renewed stability.

LOT’s initiative sends what the company describes as ‘a positive signal of resilience’, underscoring the role of aviation in fostering international cooperation and long-term recovery.

In February, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told Reuters he expected the airline to be back in Ukrainian skies ‘within six weeks of the airspace opening’. That same six-week timeline is now echoed by LOT Polish Airlines, as this is the time that would be needed to prepare logistics and ensure demand.

The announcements have sparked cautious optimism that the conflict could be nearing its end. Whether or not peace comes soon, the aviation sector is already preparing for Ukraine’s post-war future.

L’article LOT Polish Airlines plans to resume flights to Kyiv and Lviv est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Wizz Air’s strategy for resumption

Jozsef Varadi, Wizz Air’s Chief Executive, has outlined a structured plan to relaunch operations in Ukraine. He stated, “We have a firm plan for the restart of Ukraine, because I think it can happen any moment.” The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has projected that reopening Ukrainian airspace would take between six to eight weeks after a ceasefire, and Wizz Air is aligning its strategy accordingly.

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Within six months of the conflict’s resolution, the airline intends to re-establish its bases in Kyiv and Lviv. It plans to provide an annual capacity of around 5 million seats across 60 routes, significantly contributing to the restoration of Ukraine’s aviation industry.

Before the war, Wizz Air had a strong presence in Ukraine, holding a 10.1% market share, making it the third-largest carrier in the country. 

Ryanair’s commitment to Ukraine

Wizz Air is not the only airline eager to resume flights in Ukraine. Ryanair has also announced its intention to be the “first airline back into Ukraine.” CEO Michael O’Leary confirmed that Ryanair would establish bases in Kyiv and Lviv, planning to operate approximately 25 routes within six weeks of Ukrainian airspace reopening.

This commitment reflects the confidence of European low-cost carriers in Ukraine’s recovery. Both Wizz Air and Ryanair believe that reintroducing flights will play a significant role in supporting Ukraine’s economic revival by restoring vital air connectivity.

Challenges and industry readiness

While Wizz Air’s plans are ambitious, they depend on several factors, including security assessments and regulatory approvals from authorities such as EASA. Ukrainian airspace must be confirmed as safe for commercial flights before any airline can resume operations.

Additionally, Wizz Air has recently faced operational challenges, including the temporary grounding of around 20% of its fleet due to engine issues. Despite this, the airline remains optimistic about growth, expecting to increase capacity by approximately 20% in the 2025 fiscal year. Its expansion strategy includes the addition of 50 new Airbus aircraft between April 2025 and March 2026.

The return of Wizz Air and Ryanair to Ukraine will be crucial in revitalising the country’s economy post-conflict. Restoring air travel will facilitate the movement of people and goods, encouraging business activity and tourism. Moreover, the availability of low-cost flights will be essential in reconnecting Ukraine with the rest of Europe.

L’article Wizz Air aims to resume Ukraine flights within six weeks of ceasefire est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Saying that he hopes an agreement will be reached this year, O’Leary told The Telegraph that he stands ready to restart operations in the Eastern European country within 6 weeks of the ceasefire. “Ultimately it will need some kind of ceasefire because EASA won’t allow anything to fly over there unless they have some kind of reasonable certainty that there won’t be missiles flying,” he explained.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) closed Ukraine’s airspace due to “military activities which result in safety risks for civil aircraft. In particular, there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft. The presence and possible use of a wide range of ground and airborne warfare systems poses a high risk for civil flights operating at all altitudes and flight levels.”

In the meantime, O’Leary said Ryanair is prepared to re-route five aircraft based at different cities across Europe, to Lviv and Kyiv as soon as EASA gives the go-ahead. “We want to be the first airline back into Ukraine, and we have a plan to run about 25 routes to and from Kyiv and Lviv within six weeks of the sky reopening,” the CEO explained, adding that the six-week timeframe is needed “just to fill those flights.”

We have about 14 million Ukrainians dispersed all over Europe. They haven’t seen their friends and families for three years because of this illegal invasion by Russia.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO

Commenting on the sate of the airports, O’Leary said that while Odessa has been damaged, Lviv and Kyiv stand ready to re-open. “They run the baggage carousel in Kyiv every week to make sure that everything is working – they’re ready to go,” he said.

In summer 2023, Ryanair also announced $3 billion investment plan in rebuilding Ukraine’s aviation industry. At the time, the airline, the Government of Ukraine and the country’s main airports, committed to a rapid rebuild of Ukraine’s aviation, the carrier pledging to base up to 30 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, worth $3 billion, at the 3 main airports in the country, giving Ukrainian citizens and visitors access to low fare air travel as Ukraine rebuilds its economy in a post invasion environment.

L’article Ryanair to be “first airline back into Ukraine”, says CEO est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

A 2,150-km journey

Low-cost intercity bus company Flixbus, headquartered in Munich, Germany, has added the Brussels to Kyiv service to its schedules twice a week, with departures from Kyiv on Wednesdays and Fridays, and in the other direction from Brussels Gare du Nord on Tuesday and Sunday. The 2,150 km journey takes between 38 and 40 hours and is priced from €74.99 to €220.

All Flixbus vehicles are equipped with free WiFi, toilets and power outlets, and all passengers are guaranteed a seat, with a choice, subject to availability, of panoramic seats, table seats and adjustable sleeping seats. 

Some departures already sold out

Tickets in both directions have already sold out for some dates the company says. It is well placed to know how much demand there is for Ukraine routes despite the country’s ongoing war with Russia. It offers 28 direct bus connections to Ukraine from eight EU countries already, including routes to and from Poland and Hungary.

The new Brussels-Kyiv service makes 17 stops en route (Kyiv – Zhytomyr – Rivne – Lviv – Berlin – Magdeburg – Braunschweig – Hanover – Bielefeld – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne-Bonn Airport – Aachen – Liège – Brussels Gare du Nord), and “is an important step in the expansion of our network” said Pablo Pastega, FlixBus’s Western Europe Vice President.

As well as the three other Ukrainian cities, the indirect bus makes four stops in Kyiv itself: at the FlixBus Ukraine Office, the Central Bus Station, the Dachna Bus Station, and Kyiv Bus Station. At the other terminus city, Brussels, stops are made at Heysel, Brussels-North and Brussels-Midi stations, and Charleroi Airport.

Bringing Ukraine and the EU closer?

Describing Brussels as a connection at the “heart of Europe”, the executive added that the bus company is “pleased to contribute to Ukraine’s integration with European countries,” and wants to “offer comfortable and affordable travel to all Ukrainians, strengthening social and economic ties with Europe.” 

Going further, Pastega suggested the bus route was a precursor to further political cooperation. “For FlixBus and for Ukraine this bus route is a symbol and confirmation that the Ukrainian people are moving closer to their ambition of becoming a full member of the European Union. From now on Brussels is closer, both literally and figuratively”.

L’article FlixBus launches new service  connecting Brussels and Kyiv est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Then, in the Lower Belvedere, I discovered another kiss – Fedir Krytschewskyj’s Love (1925-27) in the powerful exhibition dedicated to Ukrainian modernism – In the Eye of the Storm. While very different in colour choice, it shows strong structural similarities that suggest Klimt’s influence. It captures the eternal moment equally, just differently, more real-world love than Klimt’s Kiss.

There are also other clear cross-influences and shared inspiration with other artists. Olexandr Muraschko’s Washerwoman (1914) below reminds me of Bonnard’s colour palate. Viktor Palmov’s May 1 (1929) of Chagal’s colour choices. The warm yellow-orange of the former and the particular greens, blues and oranges of the latter almost make me think they shared tubes of paint.

Of course, the focus and brushstrokes are different – Bonnard represented more the idyllic country life, while Muraschko’s Washerwoman focused on the worker. Bonnard applied a patchwork of a million evident brushstrokes, like dabs of light, while Muraschko chose an augmented reality approach – everything is real but stronger. The similar colour choice evokes the same appreciation of the warmth of sunlight. They could have been paintings in neighbouring houses.

In Viktor Palmov’s 1 May (1929), the narrative differs fundamentally from the more folkloric stories and symbolism of a Marc Chagall. It is more of a workers’ rally. Interestingly, the proletariat protest is presented in a cool shadow green, compared to the emotion-filled orange family scene on the bottom left and the warm town, centre right. Does the coolness suggest a criticism of the communist gathering? The protruding buttocks of the man in the bottom left would suggest the painter mocks. The woman consoling her daughter, the bicycle and the lovers getting on with life underlines people’s real priorities. Also, the giant tree is to protect, but it looms like a golem, the flag like a gash in its torso and the two birds like the eyes of nature. We are left wondering whether Muraschko was warning all those who took the time to see that Communism was a danger. See the group of blue silhouetted people on the top left – cold, faceless, forgotten. The patches of warmth are squeezed and almost overpowered by the cool green and blue. This doesn’t seem like an endorsement of Communism.

There is much more to the exhibition than making comparisons, identifying common styles, seeking out who influenced whom and embarking on an art history voyage. I prefer to focus on three paintings that each suggest an intriguing own meaning, free from the flow of history, and thread them together.

The first is Lily (1908) by Mychajlo Schuk. At first I saw the orange open bloom on the top middle, then the half open to its left, the closed yellow flower waiting behind the open petals. Only when my eyes were tugged to the celestial blue did I notice the stars and the thin crescent moon. A moment later, the surprise: what I had thought was a protective shell or split open crystal rock, are wings. An eagle’s? An angel’s? An angel is a being of life (the flower), light (the stars), love (the protective embrace), poetic hope and freedom (the crescent moon and stars against the majestic empowering blue). But flowers are fragile and fleeting. Is this a statement of the need to protect the life and hope and opportunity of Ukraine? I shudder at the thought of missiles targetting the Lily. Protect it we must.

Mychajlo Saposchnykow’s The King of Darkness – Predawn Vision (before 1917) is a reflective, brooding ice-giant with his familiar, a white owl, in the grey before sunrise. We can only wonder at Ukrainian folktales and at the thoughts of this king, crowned with a halo, face stern, penetrating gaze locked onto something. What? I don’t know, but a king worries about his land.

Perhaps he is concerned about the Lily, the heart of his kingdom under attack. Or maybe he is remembering a lost song. This brings me to the final painting in this article – Wsewolod Maksymowytsch’s The First Symphony (1913).

The First Symphony is an astonishing piece. The centre could be the earth, green and alive; the orange halo could be an envelope of song – all the songs of all the souls on verdant earth, so vibrant that they reach into space, each curl and swirl a note, a chord, a voice. Together, they form an embracing sheath of song protecting the earth, like the wings protecting the flower, and the King of Darkness sits there, the symphony of life reverberating in his memory, his mind, his soul, and hoping that an angel will protect his kingdom in these times of need. No wonder The King of Darkness stares so.

I should declare that I have no idea as to the meaning that the artists of these paintings intended, but I build on the argument that paintings mean what we see, and I let that emerge for me. Now I can’t but see the orange swirls as a thousand melodies, the warm orange songs of the symphony, an emergence of song with sunrise, or sunset. It could also be the orange flames too often seen at war, but that wouldn’t be a symphony but a requiem no one wishes to hear. The orange is too alive, too geometrically beautiful and intact to be deathly fire. The halo is living music; it is the song of the washerwoman in the warm light of summer, the kiss of Fedir Krytschewskyj’s couple, the woman taking care of her child, a statement of the richness of life and the artistic identity of Ukraine. It is a moment of reflective beauty in the eye of a contemporary geopolitical storm.

The exhibition, also shown in Madrid, Cologne and Brussels, is in Vienna until 2 June 2024 and will be at the Royal Academy in London from 29 June to 13 October 2024. This series of exhibitions is a statement of courage – as many of the paintings left by truck during the war, a statement of Ukrainian identity – as many of the works have been falsely attributed to “Russian avant-garde”, and as a statement of solidarity with Ukraine.

L’article In the Eye of the Storm, a display of Ukrainian modernism est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The revival of Ukraine’s tourist industry

Despite being in the middle of an active conflict, Ukraine is initiating a campaign to pique the interest of international tourists and reassure them it has the service resources and infrastructure to welcome them back as soon as the war is over. What’s more, its economy needs the boost.

“Any money that people will spend in Ukraine will help the economy to recover,” Oleskiv said. “We have now the brand of Ukraine developed and well known around the world. But it’s not associated with tourism. We need to create interest to Ukraine not just as people that you support and you feel sorry for – but also the country you want to support by visiting.”

The move follows a memorandum by the United Nation’s World Travel Organisation in 2023, to commit to supporting the “revival of tourism in Ukraine”.

“It’s very beautiful”

Oleskiv was at pains to point out that not all Ukraine, which, at 603,628 km², is Europe’s second largest country, is affected by the war in the way people might imagine. “People think about Ukraine,” she said, “maybe about bravery, about war, about destruction. So they see the picture that Ukraine looks like Mariupol, for example.” But she went on, “We have many cities that look like this, but it’s around 20 per cent or 30 per cent of our territory that is occupied. The rest is alright. It’s very beautiful. We have good infrastructure and we have very good hotels, good service, internet coverage.”

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Cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels – open

Ukraine was ready for a tourism surge in 2020 when Oleskiv started in her current role, with a flurry of international flight connections to Odessa in the offing. But Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion put a stop to all foreign visits.

While the country does not want to develop “dark tourism”, telling the story of the war for “future generations” would be important, Oleskiv acknowledged. But she was keen to emphasise the positive, noting that “We still have tourism – domestic tourism – in Ukraine. We have cafes, bars, restaurants, working. We have hotels open and actually during last winter, when we had blackout, very often the hotels were that place where people could have food, charge their phones because they all had generators.”

“People do travel”

“People do travel, they travel with families with kids from the destinations that are less safe to destinations that are more safe: in the Carpathian mountains, western central Ukraine. This is something that keeps us our mental health being alright and being ok.”

The agency is unable to recommend travel to Ukraine to foreign visitors yet, due to logistics and insurance concerns. Still, amid plans by Ryanair to recommence flights to Ukraine’s most popular destinations of Kyiv, Lviv, and Odessa within six weeks of a ceasefure, Oleskiv promised tourism could begin “as soon as the flights are renewed and we can talk about complete safety in certain regions”.

L’article Ukraine begins preparing a post-war tourism recovery est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

1. Jim Sumkay and Ukraine

After a first visit in 2010 during which he took portraits of people’s daily lives, Jim Sumkay took a particular interest in Ukraine. A few years later, the Maidan Revolution happened, an extraordinary opportunity for a photographer.

“When I heard about the events in Maidan Square in Kyiv in 2014, I wanted to put together an exhibition about the Ukrainian capital”, the artist told Belgian news agency Belga. “After consulting the University of Liège, I finally got a budget that allowed me to travel to Kyiv in early March 2014.”

Once arrived, the photographer was struck by the atmosphere in the city: “The protesters set up numerous tents and food distributions were organised. You saw people from all social classes going there”, Sumkay said.

As a commemoration of the Maidan Revolution, a temporary exhibition with the works of several photographers, including Sumaky, will be in display on the Kontraktova Square in Kyiv. The exhibition, organised with the support of the Belgian city of Liège, was inaugurated on 19 February in the presence of Belgium’s ambassador to Ukraine, Peter Van de Velde, and will be on display until 21 April. At the museum dedicated to the Maidan Revolution, even more works will be displayed.

2. Euromaidan and The Revolution of Dignity

The Revolution of Dignity, or the Maidan Revolution, was the climax of the Euromaidan protests that took place between November 2013 and February 2014 in Ukraine. The first protest of what was to become “the largest ever pro-European rally in history” took place on 21 November 2013, in Kyiv’s central square – Maidan. President Viktor Yanukovych had just turned on the decision of signing an agreement with the EU, which was supposed to pave the way for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Instead, he chose to favour relations with Russia, which was not well received by the citizens.

A series of protests began, in which people were asking for their rights and freedoms and to join the European family. The situation quickly turned sour when the mass clashed with the police forces. What had started as a peaceful demonstration, ended with beatings and tear gas.

The people were not deterred by the Militsiya (police) and Berkut (special police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) and continued to express their dissatisfaction. The Maidan square was turned into a base camp and, from there, time and time again, civilians wanted to march towards the Parliament and Presidential Residence, but each time they were intercepted.

The conflict escalated, the police deciding to use live ammunition instead of rubber bullets and to set an entire building, known as headquarters of the movement, on fire. In the end, Yanukovych fled the country and got political asylum in Russia from President Putin.

For this resolution, 107 people died, almost 2000 were injured, 234 were arrested, 140 were imprisoned and between 166 and 300 went missing.

L’article Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution remembered with photo exhibition in Kyiv est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

86 diplomats at Boryspil

Yermak was speaking at a peace summit, attended by an array of international diplomats, including 86 foreign states and three international organizations. It took place at Boryspil International Airport (KBP) – sending a strong, symbolic message.

86 participants joined the discussion: representatives of 83 foreign states and 3 international organizations. The Peace Formula has become a cohesive framework, with elements tightly interconnected.
We have made progress on each of the nine points we have already worked on. pic.twitter.com/GN44RuOq7d

— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) December 1, 2023

29 km (19 miles) east of Kyiv city centre, Boryspil is Ukraine’s largest airport and once served 65% of its passenger air traffic as well as being a hub for national flag carrier, Ukraine International Airlines.

The airport was among the first major infrastructure victims to closure in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion on 24 February 2022. It has long been promised that it would be the first place to reopen when Ukraine’s stability and security situation allowed.

Symbolic boarding cards

Yermak took pride in affirming the strengthening of Ukraine’s position and the country’s growing ability to protect and defend sites like the airport.

I am certain that the symbolic boarding cards that you were given when you came in today will soon turn into real ones.

Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s Chief of Staff

“We are now capable of providing security for this site, thanks to our defence forces and our friends, your countries,” Yermak announced.

10-point-plan

Other speakers addressing attendees and calling for peace included the President of The Elders, (a non-governmental organization of international public figures), former Irish President Mary Robinson, and Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

President Zelensky’s 10-point-plan for peace establishes a blueprint for Ukraine’s peace and covers areas as fundamental as ceasefire, and as sensitive as the release of prisoners and the fate of up to 19,500 Ukrainian children that Ukraine says have been deported to Russia against their will. Other topics cover nuclear security, environmental safety, and achieving food and energy security. It is notable that Ukraine faces another winter where Russia will try to freeze the population into submission.

Was honored to discuss the tenth point of the Peace Formula initiated by the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the ambassadors of the partner countries in a symbolic location – our Boryspil airport @BoryspilAero.

Convinced that security and lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe… pic.twitter.com/IvM0MJSlPP

— Rustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) December 2, 2023

The agenda for this latest round of talks focused on ensuring “a just peace” in Ukraine building on the UN Charter key principles. Among items also part of the discussions were the withdrawal of Russian troops; recognition of Ukraine’s 1991 borders; and the establishment of a special tribunal to try and judge the crime of cross-border aggression.

L’article Ukraine hopes to soon re-open Kyiv airport est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Human genius

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, currently convened in Riyadh until 25 September 2023, has announced that Kyiv’s gold-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral and related labyrinth of monastic buildings and Lavra of Kyiv-Pechersk (also known as “Monastry of the Caves”) should be listed as endangered, calling them “a masterpiece of human creative genius.”

In L’viv meanwhile, 500 kilometers away (300 miles) near the Polish border, it’s the ensemble of the historic centre that is considered threatened, including its fifth-century castle, squares and streets dating from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, as well as Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic edifices representing the city’s history of diversity and “an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of Eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany,” UNESCO said. 

The two sites join the historic centre of Odesa, which was placed on the threatened list in January 2023.

Monitoring and funding

Putting places of outstanding universal value on the list of historic sites in danger acts as a reminder to the international community to “monitor and contribute to” their protection, a press release by UNESCO notes. It also means additional financial and technical aid can be released in order to take emergency action.

Ukraine’s Deputy Culture Minister Anastasia Bondar embraced the measure. “We are very happy to have a very rich history and culture of our country, and we would like to say that it has been over thousands of years, and we try to preserve it for our future generations,” she said. “So it’s very much important that the whole world community will join us also.”

The 1972 UNESCO convention has been ratified by both Ukraine and Russia. Signatories commit to “the protection of the listed sites” and are “obliged to refrain from taking any deliberate measures” which might damage World Heritage sites.

Direct attacks and shockwaves

Though the UNESCO committee recognised efforts by Ukraine to protect the sites, it points out they have been “under permanent threat” since the start of the war, with direct attacks as well as shockwaves from bombing elsewhere part of the risk.

Residential areas in Kyiv and critical city infrastructure have been attacked with Iranian-made attack drones. L’viv too has been attacked, even though it is very far from front lines. A July attack by cruise missile hit an apartment building, “killing six and wounding dozens” according to the AP.

L’article UNESCO lists two Ukrainian cities as “historic sites in danger” est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Having lost all commercial air traffic since February 2022 and suffered significant war-inflicted destruction, Ukrainian airports are currently striving to recover and maintain their operational capabilities. Repairing damaged infrastructure, maintaining facilities, equipment and related certification, are crucial to ensure that Ukraine keeps its critical aviation infrastructure up and running. It is also vital that staff are retained and that they stay motivated with continuous training.

In response to airspace closures due to the Russian invasion, our top priorities include infrastructure readiness and personnel proficiency.

Sergiy Derkach, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine

As Ukrainian airports’ financial reserves are exhausted, they now need adequate and urgent financial support, ACI Europe stressed, estimating the costs involved in rebuilding damaged airport infrastructure across Ukraine at over €200 million. Additionally, the financial needs to maintain operational readiness on a yearly basis stands at €52.8 million.

“These steps are crucial for a swift resumption of civilian flights once security allows. This restoration will have a positive impact on the national economy, accessibility, refugee return and post-war recovery efforts”, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, Sergiy Derkach, said at the meeting.

“Today’s meeting was an important first step to address the array of both short and longer-term challenges faced by Ukrainian airports”, added Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe. “Airlines such as airBaltic, Ryanair and Wizz Air have already signalled their readiness to reconnect Ukraine with the rest of Europe as soon as safely possible. But that requires Ukrainian airports not just to rebuild but also to recover and maintain their operational capabilities in full. As the war drags on, this is no longer something they can do on their own – and it is urgent that the Ukrainian Government now uses part of the financial aid provided by the EU for that purpose.”

Jankovec promised that ACI Europe will call on its 550 members to consider offering incentives on user charges for any flight serving Ukraine, in order to support the rebuilding of essential air connectivity. “Looking at the longer-term, the role of the EU and multilateral financial institutions will also be essential in supporting the development of Ukrainian airports in terms of capacity, digitalisation and sustainability along with their effective integration into the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network“, Jankovec concluded.

L’article Over €200 million needed to rebuild Ukrainian airports est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.