Amendments to the procedure for granting and revoking the right to operate on air routes came into effect on 17 May. The State Aviation Service issued the relevant order No. 222 on 4 April and published it in the Official Gazette of Ukraine, the press service of the State Aviation Service announced.
The amendment removed the requirement to check the substantial ownership (ownership of more than 50% of share capital) of airlines when granting them the right to operate on air routes. Such checks are already performed during the process of licensing airlines and the new procedure eliminates their duplication.
In addition, the amendment abolishes the requirement for airlines to perform regular flights within Ukraine for at least 12 months. The network of routes and their economic viability will remain in the competence of airlines, the State Aviation Service said.
At the same time, the amendment introduces the requirement to fully pay the government fees stipulated by the Air Code of Ukraine, which will ensure equal conditions for all carriers accessing air transport markets when new rights to operate on air routes are granted.
The order comes into force on the day of its official publication. Therefore, the State Aviation Service’s commission on the right to operate on air routes will be guided by the new procedure at its next meeting in late May.
