LONDON – Unsurprisingly, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has extended its flight suspensions until January 11, 2023, as the Ukraine Crisis continues.

UIA’s Statement…

UIA said the following on the suspension:

“UIA emphasizes that it stays in touch and will continue to stay in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.”

“Given the difficult situation under martial law, the air carrier draws attention to the possibility of forced delays and feedback complications on the service channels of communication with passengers and counts on understanding.”

“All up-to-date information on the future status of flights will, if possible, be provided on the UIA’s official website. Currently, passengers of canceled flights can take advantage of the following opportunities (taking into account the technical nuances in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine):

• Tickets reissue of flights that were canceled from February 24 to new dates after the stabilization of the situation;
• Cancellation of the booking so that the ticket remains active for reissuance to new dates, which can be specified later, during the validity of the ticket (one year from the date of purchase);
• Promo code for the full amount of the ticket;
• Refund of the ticket price. Please note that it is not possible to specify the exact terms of the refund;
• All promo codes issued before March 31, 2022, will be automatically extended until March 31, 2024;
• Passengers who would like to receive a refund of the cost of the promo code will be given this opportunity. However, it is not possible to specify the exact refund dates.”

“For consultation or tickets reissuing, we recommend contacting the agencies where the tickets were purchased or the Customer Support Center by filling out the necessary feedback form on the official website of the airline.”

“Passengers of canceled flights will be informed of further actions by e-mail or by phone indicated in the booking. Passengers are requested to check that Ukraine International Airlines has up-to-date contact information – e-mail and individual mobile phone numbers.”

“For charter flight passengers, please contact your travel operators for information on the status and schedule of charter flights.”

“The UIA team takes all possible measures to ensure the safety of our passengers.”

Hardly Surprising…

This is hardly surprising news, given the fact that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing. With Russia withdrawing from Kherson, there are questions about how much longer this conflict will continue.

Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see whether UIA will extend the suspensions again, especially if Russia appears to be on the ropes at present time.

One thing that can be mentioned is that UIA is making significant efforts to generate as much revenue as possible in order to remain afloat during this difficult time.

Either way, all eyes are now on UIA to see how they will be able to get themselves through the Winter 2022/23 season and whether the wet-leasing arrangements will be enough to survive another year.

Their survival is paramount.