Flight attendants of SkyUp Airlines pose for a picture on a tarmac during the presentation of a new uniform at the Boryspil International Airport, outside Kyiv, on Sept. 30, 2021.Airline SkyUp has become Ukraine’s largest air carrier during the war with Russia by building up its business in Europe to offset the domestic closure of civilian airspace that has lasted more than two years, the company’s CEO has said.
The airline, which has 10 planes and about 1,200 staff, pivoted its business model from charter and regular flights to focusing on supplying its aircraft, crews, maintenance and insurance to foreign operators, a model known in the industry as ACMI. Before the invasion, the company set up in 2018 had been Ukraine’s fastest growing airline and flew a record of more than 2.57 million passengers to over 50 destinations in 2021.
SkyUp was luckier than other carriers as most of its planes were abroad when the war started. Only one plane was stranded in Kyiv’s Boryspil airport and the company managed to retrieve it in April 2023.