Recently some videos of the current state of the Boryspil International Airport (KBP), Kyiv, in Ukraine were published. In that audiovisual sample, we have observed several civil aircraft, but we were particularly struck by a Boeing 737-800.
The protagonist is registered as UR-SQP and was operated, until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, by the local low-cost SkyUp.
But the curious thing, at least from the local #AvGeek point of view, is that the aircraft previously operated for Flybondi, the Argentine low cost, with the registration LV-HFQ, and baptized as «MAX».
The aircraft conducted its last operation between Sharjah (SHJ), United Arab Emirates, and Kyiv. It tried to escape the situation by departing for Chisinau, Moldova but had to return to the airport minutes after takeoff.
The situation between Ukraine and Russia had been escalating in recent months, but the Russian incursion into Ukrainian territory immediately forced the closure of airspace on February 24.
Several civilians and military aircraft were stranded at different Ukrainian airports since February 24, including the former LV-HFQ, which Flybondi was able to operate between June 2018 and June 2020, when it returned it as part of the fleet restructuring process carried out to get through the worst part of the pandemic.
Other aircraft on record that were «stranded» at Boryspil Kyiv Airport include:
- Three Boeing 757-300s of Azur Air Ukraine (UR-AZN, UR-AZO, UR-AZP).
- Three Boeing 767-300ER of Azur Air Ukraine (UR-AZC, UR-AZD, UR-AZK).
- One Boeing 737-800 of Azur Air Ukraine (UR-AZF).
- One Boeing 777-300ER of Azur Air Ukraine (UR-AZR).
- Three Boeing 737-800 of Ukraine International Airlines (UR-PSE, UR-PSW, UR-UIA).
- Three Embraer 190 of Ukraine International Airlines (UR-EMB, UR-EMD and UR-EME).
- One Boeing 737-900ER of Ukraine International Airlines (UR-PSJ).
- One Boeing 767-300ER of Ukraine International Airlines (UR-GED).
- Two Turkish Air Force Airbus A400M.
Three Airbus A320s of Wizz Air are located at Kyiv Metropolitan Airport «Zhuliany».
According to satellite images and videos, the aircraft are found with no signs of having been damaged by any military attack. This differs from what happened at Hostomel Airport, west of Kyiv, which was severely damaged and resulted in the destruction of the Antonov AN-225.
