Market share of leading airlines in Ukraine February 2022

The closure of Ukrainian airspace on February 24, 2022, in response to the Russian invasion has greatly impacted the aviation sector. Ryanair, which has a 17 percent market share in Ukraine, has cancelled all flights for the foreseeable future.

Ukraine’s aviation sector

Ukraine has a small aviation market, accounting for only 3.3 percent of the European passenger traffic and just under one percent of the global traffic in 2021. The country’s flag carrier is Ukraine International Airlines, which is based in Kyiv. The airline posted a profit loss in 2020 due to reduced operations during the coronavirus pandemic but managed to almost double its passenger traffic in 2021 to 3.2 million. As of February 2022, some 61 aircraft were stored at airports around the country, including the largest cargo airplane Antonov AN-225 Mriya, which was destroyed during the Battle of Antonov Airport on February 24, 2022.

Impact on European air traffic

To sanction Russia’s invasion, 36 countries worldwide have closed their airspace to Russian airlines. In response, the Russian Federation banned airlines from 36 countries, along with all 27 members of the European Union. In Europe, airlines already cancelled flights to Russia, with Germany reporting the highest cancellation rate. The airspace closure has forced airlines to find alternative routes, which will make travel routes longer, more fuel intensive, and will increase their operating costs.