Ukrainian airline wants to start flying from Uzhhorod Airport on An-148 – Avianews
Ukrainian airline Air Ocean Airlines is ready to resume flights in Ukraine or abroad, Vyacheslav Gerica, the airline’s director, told avianews.com.
For this purpose, the airline is ready to use two Ukrainian-designed An-148 aircraft, which it used before the large-scale Russian invasion.
According to Geriga, Air Ocean Airlines could launch flights from Uzhhorod Airport if it is deemed safe. The airfield is located close to the Slovak border, and the plane enters the airspace of a NATO member state immediately after takeoff.
“Uzhhorod Airport is located at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains on the Slovak side and is relatively protected from the east. The runway has dimensions of 2038 by 40 meters, which is sufficient for safe takeoffs and landings by AN-148-100E aircraft” the airline said in its justification to the Ukrainian authorities.
If Uzhhorod Airport is not reopened for flights with passengers, Air Ocean Airlines is ready to operate abroad on a wet lease basis, i.e. lease aircraft with crews to other airlines. Ukrainian airlines such as SkyUp, Rosa Vetrov, Skyline Express (formerly Azur Air Ukraine) are currently operating under this scheme.
Nationalization of An-148
The owner of the AN-148 used by Air Ocean Airlines is Cyprus Aircraft Leasing 2. They were made in partnership with Ukraine at an aircraft plant in Voronezh and flew for several years with Angara Airlines in Siberia.
In 2021, these airliners were imported to Ukraine. Antonov helped to restore their airworthiness, after which Air Ocean Airlines began operating domestic flights.
On May 12, 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against Cyprus Aircraft Leasing 2, which include the freezing of the company’s assets.
Vyacheslav Gerica said that the airline is ready to lease An-148 directly from the state after the nationalization procedure is completed.
“We are ready to assist Antonov in import substitution of Russian components in the AN-148. The aircraft has good prospects in its class, and for our country, the resumption of airliner production is a good indicator, both in terms of image and economy“, – emphasized the Chairman of Air Ocean Airlines.
In late 2021, then-Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov and Ukroboronprom CEO Yuriy Husyev announced that Antonov would build five An-158 aircraft for the new state-owned airline Ukrainian National Airlines (UNA). The AN-158 is an extended version of the AN-148 and was developed in Ukraine.
