Several low-cost passenger airlines hope to launch flights in Ukraine within weeks, offering less expensive direct flight tickets between Kyiv, European cities and Dubai.
Should Air Arabia of the United Arab Emirates and Germany’s Germanwings receive all the necessary approvals in time, they will join Hungary’s Wizz Air, the first low-cost airlines to enter the country, and Romania’s Carpatair in October.
Wizz Air commenced domestic flights in July, covering six Ukrainian cities, and hopes to start flying to Europe soon. Carpatair launched low-cost flights to Kyiv and the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, with connections in Romanian cities.
Italy’s Onair is looking to launch flights, connecting Kyiv and Lviv with Italy. What’s more, transportation officials claim Britain’s EasyJet and Germany’s Germania are seeking to enter the Ukrainian market as well.
While most carriers are using Kyiv’s major airport, Boryspil, as its hub in Ukraine, Carpatair opted for the smaller Kyiv Zhulyany airport. The incoming low-cost companies have not yet decided which airport to use. The Ministry of Transportation announced that it will reconstruct Zhulyany airport for low-cost companies’ needs.
“We’ll reconstruct Zhulyany’s take-off runways for Airbuses used by low-cost airlines,” said Oleksandr Davydov, head of Ukraine’s State Aviation Administration at a Sept. 23 press-conference.
The influx of low-cost airlines will offer travelers less expensive tickets, ministry officials say. Ticket prices for low-cost airline flights are often promoted as bargains that save travelers 50 percent, but final costs increase depending on airport duties, fuel charges, booking and other fees.
The expected October arrival of Air Arabia was announced on Sept. 16 by Yosyp Vinskiy, Ukraine’s Transportation Minister. The company will start flights between Kyiv and Sharjah, an airport 20 minutes from Dubai, he added.
“We will finish negotiations with the Arabic company before Oct. 1, and they will start flights on Oct. 1,” Vinskiy said.
The cost of a one-way ticket on Air Arabia between Kyiv and Sharjah is expected to be $200, transportation ministry officials said. Prices for this destination offered by other airlines range from $400-$800. But Kyiv-Dubai flights are just the tip of the iceberg for Air Arabia, which in a recent statement described Ukraine as “one of the fastest growing economies in Eastern Europe.”
The company also plans to bring five Airbus 320 passenger aircrafts to Ukraine for domestic flights, according to Vinskiy.
Air Arabia said its move into Ukraine is the next step in its Eastern Europe expansion plans. In addition to offering flights across the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa, the airline says it currently offers flights to two “Eastern Europe” destinations: Turkey’s capital Istanbul and Yerevan, Armenia. The company had earlier entered and then pulled out of the Russian market.
Nevertheless, Transport Minister Vinskiy said the new October arrivals will “increase competition” on a market dominated by two domestic airliners – Aerosvit and Ukraine International Airlines. The new arrivals will also make flights “more affordable,” he added.
In negotiations with airlines wanting in on the Ukrainian market, Vinskiy said the government seeks competitive ticket fares, new aircrafts and contemporary services such as online booking.
“If a passenger buys a ticket online two months ahead of the flight, under certain conditions, he or she can really fly for 19 euros, including airport fees. If a ticket is bought several days before the flight, its price will amount to 60-70 euros,” said Andreas Engel, a spokesman for Germanwings.
Like Air Arabia, Germanwings is currently awaiting approval from state regulators, including Ukraine’s State Aviation Administration.
Wizz Air, already operating, claims to have big plans for Ukraine, including an aim to service some one million passengers in 2009. That is a bold expectation, considering that Ukraine’s airports handled some five million flyers last year.
The Hungarian company thus far offers the following flights: Kyiv-Simferopol starting at $40 one-way, Kyiv-Lviv, Lviv-Simferopol, Kyiv-Zaporizzhya and Kyiv-Kharkiv. The company hopes to soon launch flights between Kyiv and three European cities: London, Dortmund and Milan.
The influx of fresh competition and its big expansion plans for Ukraine does not have the country’s leading airlines in a panic. They claim to already be functioning as low-cost airlines.
“We are already working according to the low-cost model,” said Richard Creagh, deputy president of Ukraine International Airlines. “Our company’s prices are lower than Easyjet’s,” he added.
Some experts tend to criticize low-cost services, claiming they often falsely promote their flights as lower cost, offering nothing more than lower quality.
Traditional airlines include basic services such as a meal, drinks, a confirmed seat and baggage allowance in their ticket prices. Low-cost airlines charge extra for additional services, which can significantly increase the final price tag.
A Wizz Air flight from Kyiv to Lviv booked one day in advance can cost more than $100 if the traveler checks in one baggage item. A bottle of water purchased during the flight costs some $4; sandwiches are more. If ordered earlier, the ticket price can be below $50.
In comparison, the same flight with baggage and a meal included on Aerosvit or Ukraine International Airlines can cost as low as $60 for an economy class seat, and several hundred dollars for a business class seat.
