These Were Ukraine International Airlines’ Most Frequently Served Pre-War Foreign Routes

Summary

• Kyiv to Tel Aviv was the top international route for Ukraine International pre-war, with 57 operations
• Gatwick was Ukraine International’s fifth most popular destination, boasting 27 operations
• Istanbul was the most popular European destination pre-war, offering close proximity and Mediterranean appeal

Before the Full-Scale Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine International Airlines was the largest airline and the flag carrier of Ukraine. It operated flights to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia but has ceased operations due to the war and has since entered bankruptcy. While airlines can overfly some war zones, no aircraft can overfly Ukraine or any region of Russia remotely near Ukraine. Ukraine International’s five top European destinations on the eve of war (January 2022), according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

5

Kyiv to London-Gatwick

Ukraine International flew 27 operations to Gatwick

London’s Gatwick International Airport was the fifth most popular Ukraine International destination in January 2022. While Ukraine has other major international airports (e.g., Odesa, Lviv, Kharkiv), its top five busiest international flights departed from Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport. Gatwick is the secondary international airport serving the London area (after Heathrow). Until 2017, it boasted the world’s busiest single-use runway, and today, it remains the eighth-busiest airport in Europe.

Whereas Heathrow tends to receive more of the long-haul and full-service flights, Gatwick tends to receive more low-cost and near-abroad flights (although it still has many long-haul flights and Stansted is London’s main low-cost airport). Gatwick is a major hub for easyJet and somewhat for Wizz Air. Ukraine International was itself a low-cost airline.

4

Kyiv to Amsterdam

Ukraine International flew 28 operations to Amsterdam’s Schiphol

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport was Ukraine International’s second-most popular destination in the European Union (the UK Brexited the EU). While it had more operations (28) than the flights to London-Gatwick (27), Ukraine International used smaller aircraft and so had fewer seats (4,202 vs. 4,776). Schiphol is a major hub and so it is unclear how many passengers had Amsterdam as their destination or were transiting through.

With 3.2 million seats, Amsterdam has the fourth-most seats in Europe (behind Heathrow, Istanbul, and Charles de Gaulle). In 2023, Schiphol was the third-busiest airport in the world for international passengers with 61.9 million international passengers. This placed it just ahead of Charles de Gaulle (61.8 million) but behind Dubai (90 million) and Heathrow (74.9 million).

3

Kyiv to Paris

Ukraine International flew 31 operations to Charles de Gaulle

Ukraine International’s top European Union destination was Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport. In the last full month of operations, Ukraine International flew 31 operations to Paris with 5,790 seats. Charles de Gaulle is the principal airport of Paris and the busiest airport in France.

Charles de Gaulle Airport is connected to Paris by train and is the principal hub for Air France. According to OAG, the airport is ranked third in Europe by number of seats 3,289,040. This places it significantly behind London Heathrow and Istanbul and just ahead of Amsterdam’s Schiphol.

2

Kyiv to Istanbul

Ukraine International flew 40 operations to Istanbul

Turkey’s Istanbul International Airport was the most popular pre-war international destination in Europe. Istanbul Airport is a massive brand-new airport located on the European side of Istanbul (although it remains connected only by taxis and buses until a train connection is finally built). Istanbul (and Turkey at large) has long been a top holiday destination for Ukrainians (and Russians). Turkey offered an affordable getaway with warm, sunny weather and some of the Mediterranean’s best beaches.

Turkey and Ukraine have long had a close and complicated relationship and are near-neighbors on opposite sides of the Black Sea. The pre-war route to Istanbul was the shortest of Ukraine International’s top foreign destinations at only 635 miles. In the final full month before the invasion, Ukraine International had 40 monthly operations to Istanbul with a capacity of 5,040 seats.

1

Kyiv to Tel Aviv

Ukraine International flew 57 operations to Ben Gurion

The most popular Ukraine International pre-war route was from Kyiv to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (ironically, it is another major airport that is closed from time to time due to flare-ups in fighting). Ukraine and Israel have a close relationship with many Israelis of Ukrainian origin. According to PISM, around 5-7% of Israel’s population (around half a million) is of Ukrainian origin (slightly more than from Russia).

Many are Ukrainian Jews who migrated to Israel after the collapse of the USSR (another 41,000 migrated following Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine between 2014 and 2020). Before the war, Ukraine International flew 57 operations with 10,655 seats between Kyiv and Tel Aviv. This meant that the Kyiv to Tel Aviv route had double the number of seats as the second busiest route.