Ukraine Intl Airlines Airlines

  About Ukraine International Airlines (UIA)

Ukraine International Airlines which is often referred to by its abbreviated form UIA is the national flag carrier of Ukraine. It is also the largest airline in Ukraine with respect to passenger operations and fleet size. The airline has its head office in Kyiv with its main hub at the city's Boryspil International Airport. Ukraine International Airlines operates the domestic route and international route passenger flights along with cargo services across Europe as well as the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Canada. The airline was founded in 1992 with operations commencing later in 1992. Their first flight service was between Kiev and London. The airline operations became one of the first joint ventures in the state with the involvement of foreign capital. Ukraine International Airlines also became the first airline to be established in the former Soviet Union to accommodate and utilise the new Boeing 737-400 aircraft. The airline's founding shareholders were the Ukrainian Association of Civil Aviation along with Guinness Peat Aviation, a commercial aircraft and sales leasing enterprise which was set up by Irish-based Aer Lingus. Cargo operations between London and Amsterdam were commenced by 1994 with a Boeing 737-200 aircraft.

In 1996, Ukraine International Airlines received two more shareholders in the venture as Austrian Airlines, and Swissair invested about USD 9 million in equity. In 2000, the airline found another investor in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which invested USD 5.4 million to become a shareholder. Further, to enhance its freight operations and to accommodate more range of goods, including live animals, valuable objects and more. By 2013, the airline's expansion plans were acknowledged and accommodated as it managed to carry a big tonne of freight as well as passengers. The passenger traffic saw a massive spike of 60 per cent as the airline carried about 2,200,000 in the first half of 2013. With successful results in 2013, the airline planned to achieve the same feat for more years. The same year, the airline also launched flights to new international routes with destinations such as Baku in Azerbaijan, Munich in Germany, Prague in the Czech Republic, Athens in Greece, Warsaw in Poland, Larnaca in Cyprus, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Sochi and more in Russia and Batumi in Georgia, to name a few. In 2014, Ukraine International Airlines commenced non-stop flights to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport from Kyiv.

In 2015 though, Ukraine International Airlines was banned from entering or conducting flight operations in Russia, following Ukraine government's move to ban all of the Russian airlines from flying into Ukraine. Initially, Ukraine International Airlines did allow checked baggage allowance. However, from 2016, the airline announced that they would be selling tickets with the hand luggage-only tariff. In case passengers require to check baggage, they will need to pay a sum to the airline. Ukraine International Airlines did face some controversies as their offices were searched in 2016, owing to an investigation carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, following a report of payment not being paid to the State Aviation Fund. In 2018, the airline announced its plan of fleet expansion and upgradation. They have halted much of their fleet expansions for now as they have incurred some losses that need to be taken care of first. They are instead investing their time to curate strategies that would help stabilise the airline's financial performance and help them climb out of the losses bracket.

Fleet size of Ukraine International Airlines

As a fairly new airline, Ukraine International Airlines' fleet is quite decent sized. It comprises 37 aircraft that are mainly from the Boeing and Embraer family. Currently, the airline has 19 Boeing 737-800s, four Boeing 737-900ER, four Boeing 767-300ERs, three Boeing 777-200ERs, five Embraer 190s and two Embraer 195s. They have placed an order for four Boeing 737 MAX 8. However, the delivery has been postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile, their Boeing 767-300ER is all set to retire soon. Although the Ukraine International Airlines had announced that they would be focussing on expansion plans of their fleet, they have had to put the strategies on hold. Due to the consistent losses that the airline has incurred in the past few years, the management is putting its manpower towards bringing the airline out of the financial conundrum. The airline received deliveries for their pre-owned Boeing 777-200RERs, Ukraine International Airlines is awaiting the arrival of their new orders which include Boeing 737 and Embraer 195 aircraft that is set to replace the airline's last Boeing 737 Classics.

Baggage Allowance

Ukraine International Airlines' baggage allowance policy is similar to the globally followed standards. The airline allows a maximum weight of 23 kg for passengers travelling from economy class. As for the business class passengers, the airline accommodates a checked baggage weight of no more than 32 kg. While the economy class passengers are strictly allowed only one piece of baggage, the premium cabin class such as economy premium and business class are allowed to carry two pieces of baggage. There are a few restrictions in terms of baggage allowance by Ukraine International Airlines for certain international destinations. The rules for baggage allowance further changes with passengers who are cardholders of Panorama Premium, the airline's mileage programme. While the baggage weight can differ, the maximum dimension cannot exceed 158 cm for all the pieces of baggage. In terms of hand baggage, the airline allows up to 7 kg weight for passengers travelling from economy class. They are only allowed to carry one piece of baggage. As for passengers travelling from a business class, the airline allows up to 12 kg weight which can further accommodate 5 kg extra as they are allowed to carry two bags.

In-flight services

Ukraine International Airlines has enabled various convenient in-flight services to make the passenger's experience worthwhile. The airline has exquisite and comfortable seats with personal lamps and an entertainment system attached. Passengers can also request for blankets, pillows, earplugs and other such amenities on board. One of the best in-flight services of Ukraine International Airlines is the in-flight meal service. It is definitely worth trying.

Popular routes and top cities for Ukraine International Airlines

Ukraine International Airlines commenced with a majority of their attention towards freight operations. However, over the years, the airline has managed to bring forth extensive connectivity in domestic routes as well as international routes. The airline connects to a slew of destinations in East Europe as well as parts of the former Soviet Union. Simultaneously, Ukraine International Airlines has also introduced some new routes that have gained popularity. One of the most famous ones is the Kyiv - New York City (John F. Kennedy International Airport) as well as the route from Kyiv - Frankfurt. The airline currently connects to over 80 destinations across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The airline is touted to operate about 1000 flights in a week to major destinations. Some of the top destinations that can be found on their list of connectivity include Tirana, Yerevan, Salzburg, Vienna, Baku, Brussels, Sofia, Varna, Toronto, Sanya, Larnaca, Prague, Copenhagen, Cairo, Sharm El Sheikh, Helsinki, Nice, Paris, Tbilisi, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Athens, Budapest, Delhi, Tel Aviv, Milan, Rome, Venice, Vilnius, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Bucharest, Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Stockholm, Geneva, Zurich, Istanbul, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Dubai, London and New York City.

Why travel by Ukraine International Airlines?

Ukraine International Airlines has proved that it is capable of extending its wings to attract passengers and loyal customers with its excellent services. The airline has been in the industry for a brief period of time as compared to some other airlines in the world. However, despite a short span of time, Ukraine International Airlines has formed quite a strong presence in the Ukraine aviation market. In fact, with its brilliant domestic route and international route connectivity, it has further enabled passengers to opt for the airline if they need to reach anywhere. The airline's wings don't just limit to East Europe or Central Asia but are also rooting to connect worldwide. They have already erected their flag in New York City's JFK; the rest of the world is just a matter of time away.

While the airline's excellent connectivity has helped it gain a reputation, Ukraine International Airlines also provides passengers with the best in-flight services, has flexibility with respect to tickets and bookings. Passengers can do web check-ins and know about the flight status. Besides this, booking a Ukraine International Airlines flight on their website does have some perks ranging from transportation deals and other booking preferences. Depending on the type of ticket and cabin class, the airline's website also helps offer all details regarding the baggage allowance and in-flight services that passengers can avail. Further, they can also get the best airport lounge accessibility, provided they have a premium cabin ticket. The airline's fleet has also seen a consistent growth to cater to the growing needs of passengers. Ukraine International Airlines is the perfect airline tickets of which come at a decent budget too.