Ukraine International Airlines to add 8 aircraft in 2017

Ukraine International Airlines plans to add 8 Boeing aircraft to its fleet in 2017 to support its growth strategy, president and CE Yuri Miroshnikov said. The decision comes following the delivery of 8 B737-800 this year, with another aircraft of the same type to join the fleet by the end of 2016. The carrier is now considering entering the Canadian market in 2018, a year ahead of initial plans. However, Miroshnikov concedes that in order to offset the route’s high seasonality, the airline must resume flights to east-bound markets such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Iran and has appealed to Ukrainian regulators to make this possible. Growth on this front is being hampered by Russia’s decision last year to block off its airspace to all Ukrainian carriers in a tit-for-tat move. <br/>