Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary has previously announced the airline would resume operations in Ukraine within days of all clear. During a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, in Kyiv on 20 July, Ryanair revealed plans to invest up to $3 billion to rapidly rebuild Ukraine’s aviation industry once the war ends and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) declares that flying to and from Ukraine is safe again.
The airline has committed to returning with low fare flights to and from Ukraine within 8 weeks of the reopening of Ukraine air space. This will see 600 weekly flights from the main airports of Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa, connecting these cities to over 20 EU capitals. In addition, the airline plans to open daily domestic flights between Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa as soon as those airports are able to handle them.
The fastest way to rebuild and restore the Ukrainian economy will be with low fare air travel. (…) Ryanair remains a committed partner in rebuilding and investing in Ukraine aviation.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO
In the first 12 months post war, Ryanair plans to offer over 5 million seats to, from and within Ukraine, building up to over 10 million seats over a 5-year period. Ryanair, the Government of Ukraine and its main airports, have committed to a rapid rebuild in Ukraine’s aviation, the airline pledging to base up to 30 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, worth $3 billion, at the 3 main Ukraine airports, giving Ukrainian citizens and visitors access to low fare air travel as Ukraine rebuilds its economy in a post invasion environment.
“Having previously also served Kharkiv and Kherson airports prior to the invasion, Ryanair will return to serving those airports too, as soon as the infrastructure has been restored”, O’Leary said during the visit to Kyiv. “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 using Ryanair low fare services to the main Ukrainian airports as soon as it is safe to do so.”
During the visit, Ryanair’s senior management and the CEO of Boryspil International Airport, Oleksiy Dubrevskyy, examined the condition of the airport terminals, baggage claim and passenger check-in and boarding gate areas, control points, aprons to assess the state of the airport infrastructure and its operational readiness to resume flights when safe to do so. O’Leary congratulated the employees of the airport for their professionalism and efforts of maintaining the airport’s operability, which he said was ready for the resumption of flights as soon as possible. “I strongly believe that Boryspil Airport will remain the main air gate for the return of our citizens to Ukraine and will continue to play a leading role in the recovery of the Ukrainian economy”, said Dubrevskyy.
“Maintaining the operability of the aviation infrastructure and personnel vocational skills remains vital for us in the conditions of war”, explained Kubrakov. “Meanwhile, the resumption of flights will be possible as soon as the security situation allows. However, we are already working on solutions and investment plans to enable aircraft to fly up quickly.”
