Low-cost Airlines Discover Ukraine

The 11th of July 2008 was an important day for the Ukrainian air market. That day the first low-cost airline WizzAir has began to fly in Ukraine. All of the 180 tickets were sold out for the first flight by Airbus A320 from Kiev to Simferopol in Crimea. There are also flights to Simferopol from Lvov and Kharkov. Moreover, WizzAir Ukraine confirmed its plan to launch new routs in Ukraine on September 15, starting with new flights from Kiev to Kharkov and Zaporozhye. The first low-cost flights were offered during the summer, when it is almost impossible in Ukraine to buy any ticket heading for a seaside resort, unless you are in touch with an important person and you are ready to pay some extra money. More than 30.000 sold tickets showed how well the Ukrainian passengers reacted to the low prices.

Moreover, WizzAir announced the plan to start providing international flights to London, Dortmund and Milano from Kiev this year. The low cost airline is about to invest almost $6 millions to the development of the Ukrainian base in 2008. The company’s plan is to transport 250.000 Ukrainian passengers in 2008, and to increase this number to more than 1 million next year. According to József Váradi, the managing director of WizzAir, there will be a total of 14 planes in the WizzAir Ukraine fleet in 2012.

German airline Germanwings is getting closer to the Ukrainian market, too. Germanwings is ready to offer the tickets as soon as the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine gives them the required permission. The German low-cost airline will provide regular flights between Kiev, Berlin and Köln. However, not only the European low-cost companies start to get interested in Ukraine. Air Arabia for instance, the budget air company from the United Arab Emirates, is planning to launch regular flights between Sharjah and Kiev in October.

So far the budget airlines have not entered the Ukrainian market due to various bureaucracy reasons. The international transportation in Ukraine is regulated by bilateral agreements that precisely state the number of possible airlines on the market, flight’s frequency, and the routes. The State Aviation Administration of Ukraine decides which airline will enter the Ukrainian market and which company will be banned. That administration does not want to make any compromise with the foreign low-costs.

Nevertheless, the strength of the low-cost companies’ position is verified by the decision of the airport “Borispol” executives. They are planning to build a new separate terminal for the budget airlines only and they will open it in autumn. In spite of various conflicts between the local authorities and foreign low-costs, the Ukrainian experts predict a vast development of the low-costs here.

Source: www.tourism-review.com