SkyUp Airlines is a Ukrainian charter and low-cost airline that began service on May 21, 2018, operating from Kyiv-Zhuliany to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. They fly from three major airports in Ukraine. Boryspil International Airport Kharkiv International Airport Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport SkyUp Airlines serves 33 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa as of 2020.
SkyUp Airlines in Ukraine has released flight figures for April 2022, and the impact of the ongoing conflict is obvious. The airline only ran 57 flights throughout the month, compared to the 836 flights it operated in the same month last year.
SkyUp operated 19 charter and humanitarian flights, as well as 38 wet-lease flights, in April, on routes ranging from Antalya to Split, Chisinau to Tel Aviv, and Lisbon to Warsaw. The 19 charter and humanitarian planes carried a total of 903 passengers, the majority of whom were people in need of safe temporary housing. SkyUp executed 38 wet lease flights on behalf of other airlines, carrying 5,054 passengers.
The Ukrainian charter and low-cost carrier’s primary hub is at Kyiv Boryspil International Airport, with other hubs at Kharkiv International Airport and Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport. It serves 64 destinations, primarily in Europe and the Middle East, but also in Asia, including Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar, Tanzania.
SkyUp made waves towards the end of 2021 when it unveiled its new flight attendant uniform, which replaced traditional high-heeled shoes and skirts with sneakers and pantsuits.
Diversifying the revenue streams of the airline
The airline also performed six cargo flights in April, carrying 64.6 tonnes of humanitarian material. The majority of this cargo was defense force helmets, medicines, hygiene goods, diapers, food, and other vital items for those affected by the fighting.
With Ukrainian airspace prohibited to civilian flights, the country’s airlines are forced to look for alternate revenue streams, like as cargo operations and wet leasing. This has occurred frequently throughout the pandemic. For example, Virgin Atlantic conducted nearly 4,000 cargo-only flights in 2020, and Finnair is wet leasing several Airbus A350s to Eurowings this summer Discover.
Football is being used to raise awareness and cash
SkyUp is the official airline of FC Shakhtar Donetsk and has lately collaborated with the club on a series of charity matches to collect funds for individuals impacted by the war. Four matches were held across Europe, with the final one taking place on May 1st. One of the airline’s Boeing 737-700s is also emblazoned with the FC Shakhtar Donetsk logo.
All other planes are now being stored outside of Ukraine. The four -900(ER)s have been scheduled for maintenance at Tallinn Lennart Meri since November 2021, but they are already operational. As lessors and insurers became more concerned about the safety situation in Ukraine ahead of Russia’s invasion, the remaining ten aircraft were stored abroad in February 2022. The two -700s are currently parked at Iasi and Izmir airports, while the seven -800s are at Iasi (two), Sharm el Sheikh (three), Belgrade, and Sofia (one each). UR-SQG (MSN 30071), the eighth unit of the type, had been stored in Chisinau but is now used for charter flights between Moldovan city and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion.
The most important responsibility for Ukrainian businesses is to continue operations because that is exactly what Ukraine requires now to ensure economic stability, provide additional resources for our military forces, and assist citizens affected by the violence.
Since the early hours of February 24, 2022, when Russia launched the invasion, Ukrainian airspace has been barred from all civilian activity. Only SkyUp and Bees Airline have all or virtually all of their fleet stored outside of the nation. Ukraine International Airlines has parked a substantial portion of its fleet abroad; however, some aircraft have remained in Ukraine, whilst Windrose Airlines has kept its complete fleet in Ukraine.
