Ukrainian airlines face a serious risk of monopoly from Ryanair

Ukrainian airlines face a serious risk of monopoly from Ryanair and other European carriers after the war ends. Yevhen Khaynatsky, CEO and co-owner of Bees Airline, expressed his concerns in an interview with LIGA.net.

Khaynatsky argues that Ukrainian airlines such as SkyUp, Windrose, and Bees Airline will not be able to compete effectively with Ryanair and Wizz Air after air traffic resumes. He emphasizes the need for government support to ensure a level playing field for Ukrainian carriers.

Yevhen Khaynatsky is particularly outraged by Ryanair's "open sky" scheme, which could lead to a huge oversaturation of the air transportation market. He expresses concern about the ability of local airlines to survive in such conditions, as they do not have the financial capacity to compete with international giants such as Ryanair.

Bees Airline's CEO emphasizes the need to find a solution at the state level that would create a level playing field for all market participants. He recommends establishing conditions such as parity, where the number of flights operated by foreign carriers will be close to the number of flights operated by Ukrainian airlines.

At the same time, talks with Ryanair have already begun. The company's CEO Michael O'Leary said that Ryanair is considering resuming a limited number of flights by the end of 2023 if successful agreements are concluded with Ukraine on partial opening of the airspace.

Ukrainian airlines should do everything possible to maintain their competitiveness and support the national air transportation market, and the state should actively regulate the market, providing appropriate conditions for the development of local carriers.