European budget airlines are actively preparing to return to the Ukrainian market as soon as the airspace in the country is opened and a peace agreement is signed. Representatives of the low-cost carriers are confident that the demand for air travel will significantly increase, as a large-scale reconstruction is expected, along with the return of Ukrainian citizens from abroad and the emergence of so-called “disaster tourism,” where travelers visit regions that have experienced war or other major disasters.
This is reported by Finway
Plans of Airlines Wizz Air, Ryanair, and EasyJet
Wizz Air intends to deploy a fleet of 15 aircraft in Ukraine within the first two years after the war ends, and subsequently increase their number to 50 aircraft over seven years. Ryanair, for its part, plans to resume flights to Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa just two weeks after the peace agreement is signed.
“Wizz Air will deploy 15 aircraft for flights to Ukraine within the first two years after the war ends and will increase their number to 50 over seven years. Ryanair emphasized that it will be able to resume flights to Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa within two weeks after the peace agreement is signed.”
Before the full-scale aggression by Russia, Wizz Air was the largest foreign airline in Ukraine, operating over 5,000 flights in 2021 and ranking among the top three in the industry. The highest passenger traffic was observed in 2019, when about 15 million passengers arrived in the country, compared to 10.8 million in 2021. Ryanair plans to increase its passenger volume to 4 million per year, nearly three times more than before the full-scale war.
EasyJet Considers the Ukrainian Market
Another European low-cost carrier, EasyJet, which previously did not operate flights to Ukraine, is currently exploring the possibility of opening new routes to Ukrainian cities. This indicates a strong interest from international airlines in the Ukrainian market and its potential after the situation normalizes.