Low-cost airlines prepare to return to Ukraine: Ryanair, Wizz Air and EasyJet plan to resume flights soon

Leading European budget airlines — Ryanair, Wizz Air and EasyJet — are actively working out scenarios for resuming flights to Ukraine. Carriers predict a sharp increase in demand for travel immediately after the signing of a peace agreement and the opening of Ukrainian skies to civil aviation. This is reported by the Financial Times.

Company executives expect not only a wave of Ukrainians returning from abroad and an increase in business trips related to the large-scale reconstruction of the country. According to their forecasts, the phenomenon of so-called “disaster tourism” will also become possible. Wizz Air CEO József Váradi compared the potential interest of travelers to the period after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when tourists flocked to places where historical upheavals took place.

Hungarian Wizz Air has already prepared a phased plan for returning to the Ukrainian market. During the first two years after security is restored, the company plans to deploy up to 15 aircraft, and in the future, to increase their number to 50. Before the start of the full-scale war, Wizz Air was the largest foreign air carrier in Ukraine.

Irish Ryanair has announced its readiness to return to Ukraine in the shortest possible time - just two weeks after permission to fly. Company representatives have already visited the airports of Kyiv, Lviv and Odessa, considering the possibility of scaling the route network. The carrier has set an ambitious goal - to increase annual passenger traffic to 4 million people, which is twice the figures for 2022.

British EasyJet, which has never flown to Ukraine before, is also studying the possibilities of entering this market. The airline's CEO Kenton Jarvis called Ukraine "Europe's largest construction project" and "the missing part of the continent," emphasizing the company's interest in potential routes.

The only critical obstacle for all carriers at the moment remains the security situation. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) continues to advise airlines to refrain from flying over Ukraine due to the risk of “deliberate targeting and misidentification of civilian aircraft.” Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said the company could open ticket sales in two weeks, but it all depends on when flights become safe.

Despite this, airlines are confident that once the situation changes, the resumption of air traffic will be rapid, and demand will be extremely high. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary previously criticized European politicians for their weak response to drone attacks that are paralyzing airport operations and called for more decisive measures to protect EU airspace.