Air traffic in Ukraine's airspace in 2021 reaches almost 70% of pre-COVID 2019 volumes
Some 230,500 flights were performed in the airspace of Ukraine in 2021, which is 62.3% more than in 2020 and 31.2% less than in pre-crisis 2019, according to the website of the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise (UkSATSE).
According to the enterprise, in the airspace of Ukraine, in 2021, in particular, 29,600 domestic flights (40.4% more compared to 2020 and 3.7% less compared to 2019), 116,900 international flights (69.8% more and 28.2% less respectively) and 83,900 transit flights (61.2% more and 40.8% less respectively) were performed.
Ukrainian airlines performed 81,700 flights in 2021 (64.4% more than in 2020 and 25.5% less than in 2019), and foreign ones – 148,700 flights (61.2% more and 34.1% less respectively).
At the same time, it is noted that in December 2021, the traffic volume in the country's airspace almost reached the level of 2019 with an indicator of 92.3%. The number of transit flights in the last month almost equaled the corresponding figure in 2019, primarily due to the resumption of flights in the Simferopol flight information region.
"In 2021, despite the usual realities caused by the pandemic and the restrictions associated with it, we got hope for a full restoration of traffic in the airspace of Ukraine this year. External factors – vaccination of the population and the acceptance of the new realities of air travel, as well as our proactive work to attract airlines to perform transit flights in the airspace of Ukraine, allowed us to actually reach the level of traffic of the same period in pre-COVID 2019 by the end of the year," Head of UkSATSE Andriy Yarmak said.
As reported, the State Air Traffic Services Enterprise provided 142,047 flights with air navigation services in 2020, which is 57.6% less than in 2019.