Ukrainian SkyUp celebrates 5 years

Close-up of a SkyUp Airlines aircraft on the tarmac.
Photo credit: SkyUp airlines
Adrian Olstad 4 Min Read
4 Min Read

Ukrainian airline SkyUp has celebrated its five year anniversary with a look back on five milestones since it commenced operations in 2018.

The airline’s services have been heavily disrupted by the ongoing war in Ukraine, but the airline has managed to push through and some of their aircraft can be seen airborne on lease to other companies to this day.

Let’s have a look at the past five years of SkyUp!

Advancements in Ukrainian air travel


Since its very first flight, SkyUp looks back at five years of changing the rules of Ukrainian air travel. From overcoming vast stereotypes on airplane food, to showing passengers that every flight can be a celebration.

Through offering real restaurant menus onboard with everything from craft ice cream to Asian cuisine, as well as combining the cabin baggage dimensions of a classic carrier, with low-cost carrier prices.

To be more precise, SkyUp commenced operations in 2018, and has since managed to operate 41,978 flights across 551 routes. At the very beginning, the airline was also listed among the most dynamic airlines within Europe, according to The Anker Report journal.

The tailplane of a Ukraine SkyUp Boeing 737
Photo Credit: Cityswift – Ireland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From 2018 to 2019, the airline was also ranked the seventh airline amongst European carriers in terms of growth rate, with 93 new destinations opened in the period.

Additionally, its launch changed the balance in the Ukrainian civil aviation market, making for more competitive prices.

With its eyes on the domestic market, the carrier has also established air connections between the capital Kyiv and the cities of Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, as well as connected the regions of Kharkiv and Odesa, Khrakiv and Lviv.

Operated during time of need


As we all know, the global aviation market was also hit hard during Covid-19, and for a company in the middle of the development stage, SkyUp saw it as an even greater challenge. Despite this, the carrier survived and grew through the time Covid-19 took to pass by.

During March of 2020, SkyUp converted seven of their aircraft for cargo transportation due to the ban on civil aviation flights and for the purpose of delivering medical equipment to Ukraine.

The cargo operations developed in special airplane compartments, and from April of 2020 to the end of 2021, SkyUp had carried 2,410.5 tonnes of cargo.

Additionally, it was SkyUp who helped in evacuations from Wuhan on the order of the state. Overall, the company proceeded with more than one hundred special flights and helped 18,500 citizens return to Ukraine.

One of a kind uniforms


2021 became the year where SkyUp revolutionized the flight attendant uniform, introducing a more modern fit for all.

The company replaced suits with skirts to more comfortable trouser suits, and high heels with sneakers. The uniform was created in close cooperation with their cabin crew based on their own opinions and ideas

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