Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air has been barred from flying between Tallinn and the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, till at least the end of July, due to that country’s coronavirus incidence rate.
Wizz had been operating flights between the two capitals last week, but the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications had issued a precept to the company to stop flying.
Wizz Air had also planned to open routes to Lviv and Kharkiv, both in Ukraine, but this was off the table for the time being too.
Eero Pargmae, commercial director at Tallinn Airport, said that the flights were suspended from July 6, with the flight ban valid until July 28, when the ministry would review it again.
Pargmae said the flights, mainly used by Ukrainian workers returning home, many of whom had not been able to do so during the peak of the pandemic in March to May, had proved popular.
“There were a lot of returnees in the first week,” Pargmae said, but could not say how other Ukrainians would get home in the near future.
Air traffic from high-risk countries, so far as COVID-19 goes, including Sweden, Portugal, Belarus and Russia, as well as Ukraine, is currently forbidden.
Those who do arrive from Ukraine – often to work in sectors such as agriculture, recently facing a shortage due to the pandemic and increased need during harvest time, and construction, have to quarantine for two weeks, in addition to needing a permit issued by the Police and Border guard Board (PPA).
Travelers arriving from countries with fewer than 16 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the previous 14 days do not need to quarantine upon arrival. (ERR/Business World Magazine)
