On April 19, on the Bloomberg New Economy Gateway Europe platform, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary announced that his company is ready to resume flights over Ukraine as soon as it becomes safe to fly over the country.
"We could fly there in about 2 weeks. We're actively looking at ways and looking where we can charge back into Ukraine," Michael O'Leary.
Already today, Ryanair hired nearly 140 Ukrainians (60 — pilots, the rest — crew), who are currently at the company's Polish locations. As soon as the war ends, the airline will create at least 30 routes to/from Ukraine and create new bases within a year. Before the war, Ryanair was the #2 airline in Ukraine, right after the Ukrainian state airline MAU (Ukrainian International Airlines). O'Leary believes that Ryanair can become #1 and sees Ukraine as a strategic market for the development of aviation.
"Rebuilding Ukraine will provide a huge opportunity for European businesses to participate and accelerate, and aviation will play a key role because the Russians will probably blow up the roads and bridges on the way out the door," Michael O'Leary.
Today, Ukrainians who need to fly on vacation or to study have to go to Poland, Romania, Moldova or Hungary and board a plane to their final destination there.
