The US government has authorized Ukrainian airline SkyUp to operate flights from third countries to US cities, the airline’s press service reports.
To do this, SkyUp received a FAR129 foreign air carrier certificate and the necessary permits from the US Department of Transportation, the US Transportation Security Administration, and the US Federal Aviation Administration.
SkyUp can now enter into agreements with US or third-country airlines to transport passengers and fly to the US with four aircraft from its fleet. The list of aircraft approved by the US authorities includes four Boeing 737-800s with registrations UR-SQB, UR-SQC, UR-SQF, and UR-SQP.
“We are negotiating with airlines [to lease our aircraft], but it is too early to talk about specific contracts,” the SkyUp press service told avianews.com.
American Airlines could potentially lease SkyUp aircraft to operate flights from Houston to the Mexican resort of Cancun or from Los Angeles to Mexico City.
SkyUp clarified to avianews.com that the FAR129 certificate allows them to fly only on international flights from the United States, but does not allow domestic flights to the United States.
The Ukrainian airline is currently working on obtaining a similar certificate in Canada, which will allow it to operate in that country. SkyUp expects to complete the procedure in the near future, the airline’s press service said.
Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, SkyUp operated domestic flights within Ukraine and international scheduled and charter flights from Ukraine.
After February 24, 2022, SkyUp completely restructured its operations and began leasing its aircraft to foreign airlines on a wet lease basis, i.e., temporary lease with crews.
In 2023, SkyUp launched its own subsidiary airline in the EU, SkyUp MT, which is registered in Malta and can operate flights within the EU without restrictions.
