A Ukrainian airline was authorized to operate international flights to and from Ukraine from 1 November 2024. However, Ukraine's airspace will have to be reopened until such time as it can be operated.
On 24 February 2022, Ukraine closed all its airspace and civilian airports so that they would not become intentional or accidental military targets. Commercial traffic was relocated to Poland and Slovakia.
On 21 October, the Ukrainian National Aviation Administration granted an authorisation to operate flights on Lviv-Prague and Kyiv-Prague air routes to the airline « SuperNova Airlines ». This information caused a wave of misunderstanding, forcing Timur Tkachenko, Deputy Minister of Community and Territory Development of Ukraine, to clarify that it was a purely technical authorization not implying the reopening of the Ukrainian sky. Despite encouraging discussions on the possibility of reopening Lviv International Airport, the security risk assessment, whether for the Ukrainian state or its population, is still at the centre of the debate.
As for the airline « SuperNova Airlines », it prepares to operate as soon as the airport reopens. To this end, it had to first obtain the agreement of the European Aviation Safety Agency to operate charter flights in the European Union. This authorisation, necessary for any non-European company, was obtained on 17 October last. At the same time, it also requested a commercial permit, granted two days ago and misunderstandings, in order to be able to fly over the country.
At first glance, the visionaries therefore appear green for this airline. With these two permits, however, he still has to wait for the reopening of Ukrainian airspace, which remains closed until further notice.
Source(s): ACTE International Network
Editor(s): C.MOREAU-REVEL