- Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), due to a ban from the State Aviation Service of Ukraine, has canceled the PS1118 Kyiv-London flight, which was scheduled to take place at 12:40 on April 29.

As the airline explained in a press release on Wednesday, the flight was organized to deliver Ukrainian citizens who have a long-term contract with an employer abroad to work in the United Kingdom

"The flight was organized by order of the employer, who took care of providing long-term contracts to Ukrainian citizens in advance. Under these conditions, Ukrainians can be legally and officially employed and stay in the UK. Accordingly, this category is not risky for Ukraine. These citizens will not need evacuations in the near future will not be potential distributors of COVID-19 in Ukraine," UIA said.

The company said that the ban from the State Aviation Administration was received two hours before the scheduled departure time without indicating grounds and references to regulatory documents. At the same time, according to UIA, the airline filed all the necessary documents for obtaining permits on time and counted on "receiving a decision prematurely or within a reasonable time."

According to the information of the air carrier, the passengers of the flight - residents of different regions of Ukraine who traveled to the capital's aviation hub in the absence of regular ground passenger communications - are currently in the terminal of the Boryspil International Airport.

"Of course, we heard yesterday’s statement by Ukraine's Foreign Minister in the media about the 'illogical decision' to send Ukrainian workers abroad in a pandemic, and that the government was constructive and ready to revise the position ... But by the morning of April 29, there were no official instructions and We haven’t received any documents on this subject. Now the airline will try to obtain permission to perform the flight and provide the opportunity for Ukrainians to get to work, get a job and provide their families with livelihoods," UIA Communications Director Yevhen Satsky said.

As reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that "Ukraine receives requests from other countries that they need Ukrainian workers, but the government is guided by the safety and health of its citizens, and the exodus of Ukrainians abroad is illogical."