The Ukrainian government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus to advance the development of the new national airline, including the possibility of buying or leasing 22 aircraft, Interfax Ukraine reports.
«Under this program, a new step is being taken, a very powerful step that we have already talked about. We are moving from promises to the practical implementation of our national airline. Its creation will officially begin today,» Zelensky said last Thursday during the Large Construction: Aviation and Tourism conference. The name of the new airline, for now, is UNA (Ukrainian National Airlines).
The MoU includes the possibility of buying or leasing 6 Airbus A220s, 12 Airbus A320neo, and 4 wide-body aircraft (A330neo or A350), according to Interfax Ukraine.
Zelensky expressed Ukraine’s readiness to invest in a new aircraft for the creation of a national airline in order to boost commercial aviation in the country by increasing passenger traffic and to make the country an attractive destination for leisure and business travelers.
The European Union and Ukraine recently signed their free skies agreement, allowing for the expansion of multiple Ukrainian and foreign airlines. Low-cost operators such as Wizz Air have expanded their offerings by summer 2022 with 26 new routes, while Ryanair is looking for further growth in Ukraine and Ukrainian low-cost carrier SkyUp has increased its international operations.
Earlier in the day, the government also announced a reduction to reduce the value-added tax on domestic tickets from 20% to 7% to promote air travel, whilst in parallel, it is rolling out a program to modernize a series of nine regional airports and the construction of two new airports in eastern Ukraine.
This year the Ukrainian government has invested around UAH 3.4 billion (USD 125 million) in the development of aviation infrastructure.
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