Ukraine International optimizes the hub at Boryspil International airport with due regard to such factors as demand fluctuations, connecting traffic dynamics, Ukraine’s economic forecast, and the inability to use the Russian airspace. Flight program is being axed due to the need to optimize the airline’s costs and bring it back to the profit zone. The new schedule will be introduced from November 16 and be in effect for IATA Winter & Summer 2019-2020 Schedule.
All UIA flights to destinations in Western Europe will be operated during the daytime: departure from Kyiv is scheduled between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.; arrival to Kyiv is scheduled between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. local time. Flight frequencies to Brussels, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Krakow, and Madrid will be increased up to 7 times per week. Flights between Kyiv and London and Kyiv and Vilnius will be operated twice daily.
All UIA flights to Cairo, Dubai, Ankara, Izmir, Yerevan, Baku, and Tehran will be operated at nighttime: departure from Kyiv is scheduled between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m.; arrival to Kyiv is scheduled between 07:30 and 08:45 a.m. local time. Flights to Tel Aviv, Istanbul, and Tbilisi will be operated several times per day.
Due to negative profitability, UIA will cease operating flights to Amman, Minsk, and Riga.
Simultaneously, UIA keeps connecting the capital and the cities of Ukraine. Passengers are offered to take advantage of double-daily flights between Kyiv and Odesa, Kharkiv, and Lviv, as well as daily flights between Kyiv and Dnipro, Kherson, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhia, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Within the Winter 2019-2020 Schedule, UIA will increase the frequency of Kyiv – Toronto services from two to three weekly flights. Moreover, from November 17 the carrier introduces changes to New York – Kyiv flight schedule: departure from New York at 00:30 a.m. and arrival to Kyiv at 4:20 p.m. local time. Kyiv – New York flights’ schedule will not be changed. Flights to the cities of the USA and Canada will be operated on Boeing 777 aircraft.
During the Winter 2019-2020 season UIA will be operating five weekly flights between Kyiv and Delhi, while adding another two weekly flights in summer 2020. The Kyiv – Delhi – Kyiv flights will be operated on Boeing 767 aircraft. The time of departure from Delhi will be changed to 11:30 p.m. and arrival to Kyiv – at 04:10 a.m.
Non-stop services connecting Kyiv and Beijing will be put on hold, while frequency en route Kyiv – Bangkok – Kyiv will be brought down to 3 weekly flights. The changes will be introduced from November 16 and be in effect until the government of Ukraine comes up with an efficient solution for ensuing arm’s length terms for Ukrainian carriers that are obliged to by-pass the airspace of the Russian Federation when operating eastbound flights.
Following changes to the long-haul flights’ operation plans, UIA decreases frequencies of duplicating daytime and nighttime eastbound flights.
UIA will offer passengers rerouting options (where possible) or ticket refunds in case rerouting is impossible or an alternative does not suit a passenger. (UIA/Business World Magazine)