Ryanair aims to be ‘first airline back’ flying to Ukraine from UK once Russia war ends
Ryanair aims to be ‘first airline back’ flying to Ukraine from UK once Russia war ends
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Exclusive: We need six weeks after skies reopen, says chief executive Michael O’Leary. After Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to negotiate the end of the Ukraine war with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Ryanair has set out plans for a post-ceasefire flight network to and from Kyiv and Lviv. “We want to be the first airline back into Ukraine,” said Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair. He told The Independent that within six weeks of the skies reopening, his airline would set up bases at both cities and fly to around 25 destinations – likely to include London Stansted.
His comments come after the Ukrainian president told Piers Morgan in an interview that he was ready to talk to his counterpart in the Kremlin, and that his country had suffered 45,100 losses since the full Russian invasion almost three years ago. Civil aviation ended on the day Russia moved in on 24 February 2022. At present the EU Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) says: “Airspace and critical infrastructure, including airports, are exposed 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.”. Were a ceasefire to be agreed, the ban on flying to, from or over Ukraine could be lifted soon afterwards. Michael O’Leary said: “We have a plan to pivot five of our aircraft at bases all over Europe – so an aircraft in Stansted, in Dublin, in Brussels, in Milan. We will cancel a route, say, from Stansted to the Canaries and we’ll send that aircraft instead to Lviv or Kyiv.
“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. “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. “We need the six weeks just to fill those flights.”. The Ryanair CEO said that while Odessa airport had been damaged, Lviv and Kyiv could be ready for passengers swiftly.
