SkyUp Airlines plans to launch its own airline in the European Union in the autumn.
The new airline will initially perform charter flights for European tour operators, the CFTS portal reports, citing the Forbes publication.
According to the publication, the new airline will initially perform flights from the Baltic States, Moldova, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. SkyUp Airlines is not ruling out flights from Germany and Austria.
Most of its routes will lead to traditional tourist destinations, such as Turkey and Egypt, plus exotic destinations like Tanzania.
"Undoubtedly, a significant volume of flights will be performed for our group of companies – the Join Up Baltics, Join UP Romania, and Join UP Poland tour operators," SkyUp Airlines' Commercial Director Liudmyla Slobodianiuk said.
In the second phase (from late March 2023, when the summer flight season begins), SkyUp plans to launch regular flights from the European Union.
"The long-planned strategic plan to create a full-fledged European airline that will operate in the EU will be implemented," said Slobodianiuk.
The European-based SkyUp airline will perform most of its flights outside the European Union and, as soon as it becomes possible, it will perform flights to Ukraine.
According to the report, SkyUp Airlines has already established relations with Turkish airports, which will make it easier for the group’s new carrier to begin operations.
According to Slobodianiuk, the group plans to begin selling tickets in November-December. By the beginning of the new tourist season, it plans to increase the number of its airplanes to 19 (three will be received at the end of this year and five next year).
SkyUp Airlines has not yet announced the name of the new airline, the map of its regular routes, and the amount of investment in it. According to SkyUp Airlines, this is because discussions on the new airline’s route network, schedule, and base airports are currently in the final stages.
The new carrier will be registered in Malta. This is due to a combination of factors: from the ease and speed of registration of a new airline and the support of local authorities to effective tax legislation. To launch in Malta, it needs at least two airplanes and an investment of up to EUR 5 million (for obtaining the necessary permits, resolving technical issues, and financing the expenditures on the first few flights).
