Will planes fly in Ukraine, and when can this happen?
The information about the quick opening of the Uzhhorod airport for international regular flights caused optimism among passengers.
The Transcarpathian regional government, the owner of the airport, which is located on the border with Slovakia, allocated UAH 26 million for the renovation of the airport. According to the head of the regional council, Volodymyr Chubirko, the funds are needed to “carry out the necessary procedures, obtain permits, build the necessary buildings, and finally start making money, not counting losses.”
Let’s figure out whether regular flights are even possible in Ukraine before the end of the war, and when Ukrainian passengers will finally be able to depart from Ukrainian airports?
Why Uzhhorod?
The conversation about the possibility of resuming regular flights from Uzhgorod began due to the airport’s close location to the border. The runway literally abuts the border, so before landing in Uzhhorod or immediately after takeoff, planes immediately enter the airspace of NATO and EU states.
Apparently, when the local authorities announced the flights, they believed that the proximity to the border made the Uzhhorod airport safe. However, this opinion is wrong. The Russians have already launched unmanned aerial vehicles that crashed in European countries. The reaction was rather sluggish. So, proximity to the border can deter an aggressor country from launching missiles at a border airport, but is not a 100% guarantee of safety.
What about other airports?
Russia fired missiles or other weapons at all the main airports of Ukraine – Boryspil, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipro. According to General Serhiy Kryvonos, the Ukrainian military filled the runway with oil at the airport “Kyiv” (Zhulyany) in order to prevent the landing of enemy troops.
Therefore, all the key airports of the country must undergo restoration in order to be able to receive flights according to international standards. No one will now bring the airports to their proper condition under the risk of constant missile attacks.
Are flights possible before the end of the war?
Even if Russia signs an undertaking that it will not fire missiles at airports and civilian aircraft, this cannot guarantee security – the aggressor has repeatedly violated agreements.
Given that Ukraine was rebuilding its aviation industry to meet EU safety standards, any commercial flights with passengers are possible only after the end of hostilities and re-certification of airports on safety issues.
In addition, Ukraine does not have its own modern aircraft. Airlines leased equipment abroad, and foreign aircraft owners began recalling aircraft to Europe even before the beginning of the Russian invasion. If the owners did not want to leave their planes in Ukraine even before the start of the war, then who among them would dare to give the airliners to fly to Ukraine during the war?
The precedent of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 proved that for the Russians, it doesn’t matter which plane to shoot down – a military one or a civilian one with hundreds of passengers.
