Having lost all commercial air traffic since February 2022 and suffered significant war-inflicted destruction, airports in Ukraine are striving to recover and maintain their operational capabilities, according to airport trade body Airports Council International (ACI) Europe.
The need to repair damaged infrastructure, maintain facilities, equipment and the related certifications is critical to ensuring that Ukraine keeps its aviation infrastructure up and running. The costs involved in rebuilding damaged airports across the country is currently estimated at over €200 million, while the investment required to maintain operational readiness on a yearly basis stands at more than €52 million.
Meanwhile, the need to ensure staff are retained and remain motivated with continuous training is also a pressing concern. Maintaining both the airport community’s manpower and infrastructure is a prerequisite for the country to be able to restore its connectivity and facilitate its economic restart when air traffic re-opens.
Following a meeting to review and address the issues faced by the Ukraine’s aviation sector, Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe said the meeting was an important step to address the array of short and longer-term challenges faced by Ukrainian airports.
“Airlines such as airBaltic, Ryanair and Wizz Air have already signalled their readiness to reconnect Ukraine with the rest of Europe as soon as safely possible,” he said. “But that requires Ukrainian airports not just to rebuild but also to recover and maintain their operational capabilities in full. As the war drags on, this is no longer something they can do on their own – and it is urgent that the Ukrainian Government now uses part of the financial aid provided by the EU for that purpose.”
Jankovec added that for its part, ACI Europe is calling on members across its portfolio of 550-strong airport stakeholders to consider offering incentives on user charges for any flight serving Ukraine to help support the rebuilding of essential air connectivity.
“Looking at the longer term,” he said “the role of the EU and multilateral financial institutions will also be essential in supporting the development of Ukrainian airports in terms of cpaacity, digitalisation and sustainability along with their effective integration into the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network.”
Sergiy Derkach, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, reiterated that in response to airspace closures due to Russian invasion, Ukraine’s top priorities include infrastructure readiness and personnel proficiency. “These steps are crucial,” he said, “for a swift resumption of civilian flights once security allows. This restoration will have a positive impact on the national economy, accessibility, refugee return and post-war recovery efforts.”
