Ukrainian airline to launch flights from Moldova to Europe for Ukrainians

Ukrainians Can Soon Fly Direct to Europe from Chisinau

SkyUp Airlines has announced the launch of a new program offering direct scheduled flights for Ukrainians – not from Ukraine itself, but from neighboring Moldova.

Flights are set to begin in April 2025, and tickets are already available for booking as of December 11, 2024.

The airline has chosen Chisinau International Airport as its hub due to the ongoing closure of Ukrainian airspace to civilian aviation. The list of destinations includes popular European cities in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Cyprus. Travelers will be able to fly directly to Paris, Lisbon, Barcelona, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Larnaca, Thessaloniki, and Heraklion.

This development comes amidst ongoing efforts to reopen Ukraine’s airspace. While the horizon for a full reopening remains uncertain, several stakeholders have voiced optimism.

Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, expressed confidence in November 2023 that at least one civilian airport in Ukraine will likely resume operations before the war ends. Other officials have echoed this sentiment, even estimating that flights could restart in Kyiv or Lviv as early as January 2025.

Boryspil International Airport, the largest airport in Ukraine, announced in October 2023 that it would be ready to resume operations within a month of the war concluding.

The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) offered a more cautious outlook in April 2023. In their 2023-2029 forecast, Eurocontrol predicted that airspace restrictions in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and Moldova would likely remain in place. Supernova Airlines has recently obtained permission to operate flights between Lviv and Prague, and Kyiv and Prague, with a frequency of seven flights per week, marking a cautious return to domestic air travel.

Regardless, the SkyUp flights from Chisinau offer Ukrainian travelers much-needed convenience and connectivity to traditionally popular European destinations. Ukraine’s Ministry of Community Development and airport directors have collaboratively prepared a roadmap for reopening Ukrainian airspace during wartime, highlighting the nation’s commitment to restoring its crucial air travel infrastructure.