Ukrainian airline Air Ocean Airlines may resume flights from Uzhhorod Airport, which is located close to the Slovak border.
This was announced by the airline’s director, Vyacheslav Gerica, avianews reports.
According to him, Air Ocean Airlines could launch flights from Uzhhorod if it is deemed safe. The airport is located close to the Slovakian border, and the plane enters the airspace of the 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.
Since 2021, Air Ocean Airlines has been operating as a full-service regional airline, flying from Kyiv to Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Kharkiv, and from Lviv to Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. But in January 2022, the company canceled the flights.
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 carriers. Ukrainian airlines such as SkyUp, Rosa Vetrov, Skyline Express (formerly Azur Air Ukraine) are currently operating under this scheme.
