The Ukrainian airline SkyUp Airlines has reported that in April, during clashes between members of the Sudanese regular army and the Rapid Support Force at Khartoum airport, it lost two aircraft – the insurance company compensated for losses on one of them, and the processing of insurance payment on the other is being completed.

"What happened, unfortunately, happened. Yes, we lost two planes. But thank God, thank you to the team, thank you to the coordinated work with the Defense Intelligence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy, the honorary consul, we all pulled out our people," SkyUp CEO Dmytro Seroukhov said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

At the same time, he said that saving people is the greatest victory in this situation.

"Planes are iron, and people are people. Everyone is alive and well, thank God," the CEO of SkyUp said.

He also said that the insurance company fully reimbursed the airline for insurance on one lost aircraft, while on the second, the process is in its final stages.

According to the CEO of SkyUp, shortly before the incident there were no special warnings from insurance companies.

"If there are risks, insurance companies limit them. In Ukraine, for example, on February 12, 2022, we received a warning from insurance companies that insurance coverage could be revoked in 48 hours. And before that there was a warning that insurance coverage could be revoked in seven days. There was nothing like that in Sudan. It was the standard seven days. At the beginning of June, a large audit was carried out by IATA (International Air Transport Association), South African Airways (SAA), Khartoum International Airport. And the company did not demand additional insurance funds," Seroukhov said.

Earlier, Maxar Technologies published on Twitter satellite images of the airport in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, in which 14 aircraft were damaged to varying degrees as a result of clashes between members of the Sudanese regular army and the Rapid Support Force.

The publication Awianews claimed that the charred remains of one of the planes captured in the picture belongs to a Boeing 737-800 aircraft of the Ukrainian airline SkyUp. The images showed that only charred wreckage remained of the airliner, the report said.

SkyUp could neither confirm nor deny this information to Interfax-Ukraine. "At the moment, there is no way to get to the plane to confirm or deny information about its condition," the airline's press service said.

Even earlier, media reported that during clashes in the capital of Sudan, one of the SkyUp planes located at Khartoum airport caught fire. The airline reported the activation of an emergency radio beacon on one of the two aircraft, adding that it was impossible to determine the condition of the aircraft and possible damage.

According to Awianews, the company's second Boeing 737-800 was in a nearby parking lot. There is no significant damage visible on it, but the condition of the aircraft can only be assessed by technicians after a detailed inspection. The publication believes that the plane could have sustained damage to the fuselage, which would compromise the integrity of the cabin and the operation of the airliner systems.

Two SkyUp Airlines aircraft were in Sudan under an ACMI contract with Sun Air. Since the beginning of 2023, they have operated flights to Cairo (Egypt), Riyadh and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).

SkyUp has been operating in Sudan since January 1, 2022.