The First Ukrainian Company has ordered new-generation Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The total value of the order is USD 624 million, SkyUp Airlines told the CFTS portal.
According to the company, it has reached agreement on delivery of two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and three medium-haul Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft.
SkyUp Airlines is the first airline to place an order for Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft not only in Ukraine, but also in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the CIS.
The first five aircraft are expected to be delivered directly from the Boeing plant in Seattle in 2023. The terms of the contract provides for the option of ordering five more aircraft of these models with similar delivery dates. Thus, 10 new-generation aircraft are expected to be added to the SkyUp Airlines’ fleet in the period of 2023-2024.
"The 189-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 will allow us to perform medium-haul flights (distances over 5,000 kilometers) and the 230-seat Boeing 737 MAX 10 will allow us to perform charter flights to popular destinations such as Turkey, Egypt, Spain, etc. Both types of aircraft have low operating costs, which will allow the airline to significantly reduce the cost of flights and offer the market a quality product at an affordable price," SkyUp Airlines’ CEO Yevhen Khainatskyi said.
According to the airline, it currently has a fleet of three Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft (two manufactured in 2013) and one Boeing 737-700NG manufactured in 2002). SkyUp Airlines also reiterated its intention to begin operating flights in April this year: it will initially operate charter flights and then begin operating regular flights on the routes Kyiv-Odesa and Kharkiv-Odesa from the middle of summer.
According to sources, SkyUp Airlines has leased two Boeing 737-800 aircraft previously operated by Malaysia Airlines. Information about the aircraft has already been submitted to the State Aviation Service of Ukraine for registration, which will enable the airline to obtain an air operator certificate.
