Ryanair cancels plans to start flights to Ukraine!

Ryanair won’t fly in Ukraine, according to the company’s newest statement. The low-cost carrier accuses officials of protecting high-fare airlines, while the airport CEO Pavlo Riabikin says Ryanair puts forward unlawful demands to Boryspil International Airport.

Ryanair had been in negotiations with Boryspil airport since announcing in March 2017 that it will start 7 new routes to Lviv and 4 routes to Kyiv in Ukraine, its first ever services to the country. The carrier had been planning to fly from the UK, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Netherlands to Ukraine by the end of October 2017. Many Ukrainians would have booked cheap Ryanair flights after the visa-free regime with the European Union came in force.

Yesterday the Irish low-cost airline has canceled previous plans, saying that the main airport in Kiev had not honored terms agreed earlier this year. The carrier halted sales of tickets for flights to Ukraine in the afternoon of July 10. All affected customers who have already booked tickets will be contacted by email and refunded for their cancelled flights.

Kiev airport has … chosen to protect high-fare airlines and deprive Ukrainian consumers/visitors access to Europe’s lowest air fares, Ryanair said in a statement on July 10.

We regret also that Lviv Airport has fallen victim to Kiev Airport’s decision. Ryanair will now transfer this capacity to competing markets, such as Germany, Israel and Poland instead, said Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer David O’Brien.

The head of Kiev airport, Pavlo Riabikin, said earlier that Ryanair is setting ultimatum requirements which do not comply with the Ukrainian legislation. Riabikin has revealed some of Ryanair’s demands. Among them are air navigation services free of charge and other fees canceled, free space for advertisement, free ticket sale offices, 60-day crediting period secured by the airport, 35% percent of profit from duty free stores and approval of the passenger fee at $7.50 for five years.