Development of Ukrainian airports

In order to address the current issues of airport development, airport infrastructure reconstruction and development and to meet the needs of the national economy and population in air transportation and to improve the competitiveness of the aviation industry of Ukraine, Ministry of Infrastructure developed the Concept of the State target program for the development of airports for the period till 2023, approved by the Directive of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 30.12.2013 № 944.

The development of aerodromes and aerodrome facilities are planned to be supported with the funds, allocated under the state guarantees, provided in accordance with the legislation. The development of airport infrastructure objects except aerodromes will be carried out by private investors.

The draft program foresees the reconstruction of the aerodrome and terminal complexes of regional airports such as international airport "Boryspil", international airport "Odessa", international airport "Kyiv" (Zhuliany), international airport "Zaporizhzhia", airport "Ivano-Frankivsk", airport "Uzhhorod", airport "Chernivtsi", airport "Mykolayiv", international airport "Kherson", international airport "Dnepropetrovsk" etc.

Liberalization of the air transport market and signing of the Common Aviation Area

Establishment of a Common Aviation Area is based on mutual free access to the air transport market, equal conditions of competition and common rules, particularly in the fields of flight safety, aviation security, air traffic management, environmental protection and common sectoral social norms, development of cooperation between EU’s and Ukraine’s avia-industrial complexes.

The analysis of the impact of the CAA Agreement on air transport market of Ukraine show that market liberalization between Ukraine and the EU under the Agreement on CAA will have positive effects:

• access of Ukrainian airlines to the EU market will lead to an increase in passenger and cargo traffic
• unlocking the transfer potential of Ukraine (development of an international hub in “Boryspil” airport)
• development of regional airports in Ukraine, increase in employment
• attracting low cost carriers to the Ukrainian market
• increasing the number of flights, served by UkSATSE

As a result of a long negotiation process, started in December 2007, CAA Agreement was initialed on 28 November 2013 in Vilnius (Lithuania).

The Ukrainian side did the appropriate internal procedures and received authority to sign the Agreement in May 2014. The government changed and the authority to sign the Agreement on CAA was reissued to the Minister of Infrastructure Andriy Pivovarsky.

However, the current wording of paragraph 31 "Territory" Article 2 "Definitions" on territorial application of the Agreement on CAA remains uncoordinated, taking into account the lack of consensus between Spain and the United Kingdom in the formulation of Gibraltar part.

The EU side said that the solution of this issue is possible only in the political sphere and placed emphasis on the need to raise this issue at the highest political level.