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SkyUp Airlines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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SkyUp Airlines
A SkyUp Airlines Boeing 737-800
IATA ICAO Call sign
PQ SQP SKYUP
Founded2016
Commenced operations
21 May 2018 (2018-05-21)
Operating bases
Subsidiaries
Fleet size2
Destinations116[1]
HeadquartersKyiv, Ukraine
Operating incomeDecrease ₴ 3.8 billion (2025)[2]
ProfitDecrease ₴ 26.4 million (2025)[2]
Total assetsIncrease ₴ 5.2 billion (2025)[2]
Total equityIncrease ₴ 1.4 billion (2025)[2]
Employees1,005 (2025)[2]
Websiteskyup.aero

SkyUp Airlines LLC is a Ukrainian charter and low-cost airline headquartered in Kyiv,[3] which began its operation in May 2018.[4] During 2021, the airline carried 2,546,899 passengers, performed 15,962 flights, and transported 786.5 tons of cargo. It had 1172 employees as of 2021.[5] Since the Russo-Ukrainian War the airline has specialized in leasing and also offers scheduled flights from Chișinău and Poland.[6]

Its subsidiary SkyUp MT is based in Malta and has the IATA Code U5.[7] This airline received its air operator license in May 2023 and has performed ACMI operations since summer 2023.[8]

History

[edit]

In 2016, SkyUp became a registered company in Kyiv, Ukraine. On 14 December 2017, Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan announced the launch of a new national private air carrier named SkyUp Airlines. The main shareholders of the company were ACS-Ukraine Ltd, Yuri Alba and Tatyana Alba, who also owned the tour operator Join UP!, which was expected to cooperate with the airline to provide charter flights for holiday packages.

Plans for the first year included concentrating on international charter flights to popular summer destinations, as well as scheduled flights within Ukraine and to several international destinations. Tickets sales were set to begin in April 2018. SkyUp also intends to cooperate with Ukraine International Airlines.[9]

The company started operations on 21 May 2018 with a flight from Kyiv-Zhuliany to Sharm El Sheikh.[10] In March 2018, SkyUp Airlines and Boeing finalised a firm order for the purchase of two Boeing 737 8 MAX and three Boeing 737 MAX 10 due to be delivered in 2023. Additionally, the airline has the option to purchase another five aircraft.[11][12] At its launch, the airline intended to operate charter flights from both Kyiv-Boryspil and Kyiv-Zhuliany, as well as Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa and other cities in Ukraine to a total of sixteen destinations: Alicante, Antalya, Barcelona, Bodrum, Burgas, Dalaman, Dubai, Hurghada, Larnaca, Palma de Mallorca, Nice, Rimini, Sharm El Sheikh, Tenerife, Tivat, Tel Aviv and Varna.[13] Following the launch of the charter operations, the airline planned to commence domestic services from Odesa to Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv in late May or early June 2018. The airline also intended to operate international services from Kyiv to Barcelona, Dubai and Larnaca.[9][13]

In February 2019, the airline announced it would be moving its main base from the Zhuliany to Boryspil from the beginning of the summer schedule. The airline said that the decision to change the home airport was made due to restrictions on the operation of aircraft at Zhuliany Airport.[14] Also, in 2019, SkyUp was hit by court attack[15] with controversial guilty verdicts resulted in their license being suspended. However, journalists revealed that the woman, who allegedly appealed to the court, said she had never been SkyUp’s client and did not appeal to the court.[16] The Prime Minister of Ukraine, as well as Minister of Infrastructure called the court attack suspicious.[17] Later, guilty verdicts and license suspension were recalled, while the judge, responsible for the illegal verdict, was dismissed.[18]

On 20 February 2020, one of the airline's planes was chartered by the Ukrainian government to evacuate citizens from Wuhan during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was back then not a pandemic.[19]

In 2021, SkyUp became the first Ukrainian airline to launch direct flights from Saudi Arabia to Ukraine.[20]

In October 2021, a new uniform for flight attendants was introduced: high-heeled shoes were replaced by sneakers, and trouser suits instead of skirts.[21]

SkyUp Airlines won the Heart of Airspace nomination according to the Ukraine Tourism Awards 2021.[22]

On 24 February 2022, coinciding with the closure of Ukrainian airspace to civil aviation traffic, SkyUp canceled all flights through 6 March 2022.[23] Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the airline has been conducting evacuation and humanitarian flights,[24] as well as providing wet leasing for its fleet.[25]

In May 2023, SkyUp announced the formation of a new company based in Malta named SkyUp MT, and a Boeing 737-800 registered 9H-SAU was transferred to it. They announced that it would perform wet-leasing flights with the hope that scheduled services within Europe could eventually be operated.[26] The airline has an ICAO code of SEU with a callsign of Sky Malta.[citation needed]

In December 2023, one of SkyUp's Boeing 737s was wet leased to Air Niugini.[27][28]

On 12 December 2024, SkyUp announced that in 2025 they would start scheduled flights from Chișinău to Alicante, Athens, Barcelona, Heraklion, Larnaca, Lisbon, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paris and Thessaloniki.[29][30]

In May 2026, SkyUp Airlines retired its last Boeing 737-700 in service. However, one aircraft remains in service with its Moldovan subsidiary SkyUp Nistru.[31]

Destinations

[edit]

As of October 2021, SkyUp serves 64 scheduled year-round and seasonal destinations from airports in Ukraine, some of which are operated as charters. The airline mainly serves routes throughout Europe and the Middle East.[32]

Fleet

[edit]

As of June 2026, SkyUp Airlines operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet composed of the following aircraft:[33][31]

Active fleet

[edit]
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
SkyUp Airlines
Boeing 737-800 2 — 189
Boeing 737 MAX 8 — 2[11] TBA
Boeing 737 MAX 10 — 3[11] TBA
Total 2 5

Aircraft operating for the subsidiary airlines SkyUp MT and SkyUp Nistru are listed separately.

Fleet history

[edit]

All the aircraft ever operated by SkyUp Airlines:

Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 737-700 2 2018 2026 One aircraft transferred to SkyUp Nistru.[31][34][35]
Boeing 737-900ER 4 2019 2021 Leased from GE Capital Aviation Services / AerCap.[36]
Airbus A321neo 3 2025 2025 Leased from Play Europe.[37]
[edit]

Incidents and accidents

[edit]

Controversies

[edit]

Transfer of former aircraft to Belavia

[edit]
A former SkyUp Airlines Boeing 737-800, operating for Belavia since June 2026

In June 2026, three former SkyUp Airlines Boeing 737-800 were transferred to the Belarusian national airline Belavia under temporary Gambian registrations.[44][45][46] The delivery followed the companies previous acquisition of three Airbus A330-200 aircraft through the West African nation to sidestep sanctions.[44][47] Earlier in 2022, SkyUp Airlines had stated that it was willing to lease its aircraft to any airline in the world which does not operate flights to Russia or Belarus.[48]

In a comment to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, SkyUp Airlines confirmed that the transfer had taken place, but that it was out of their control, as the aircraft had been returned to their lessor.[49]

We decommissioned them and returned the aircraft to the lessor in January 2026. After returning them, we had nothing to do with their future fate. The transfer of the planes to the lessor was carried out in the United Arab Emirates. Therefore, it is incorrect to say that these were our planes, rather that they were Boeing 737-800s, which until January 2026 were in the fleet of SkyUp Airlines.

— SkyUp Airlines representative

In its biannual report published on 6 August 2026, Belavia confirmed that it had taken delivery of the three Boeing 737-800 aircraft, allowing to the airline to increase its carrying capacity, develop its route network further, and provide greater ease of scheduling.[50][51]

[edit]

The aircraft and uniform of SkyUp flight attendants appear in Max Barskih’s video "Just Fly".[52]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Flight search on skyup.aero". SkyUp. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 OpenDataBotUa ТОВ «АВІАКОМПАНІЯ СКАЙАП» (Report).
  3. ↑ "Contact". SkyUp. Retrieved 2022-03-18. 02121, Ukraine, Kyiv, Kharkivske highway, 201 / 203-2a
  4. ↑ "SkyUp". centreforaviation.com. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "New Record in Transportations, Uniform for Champions and More Opportunities to Travel: SkyUp Sums Up 2021 · p. 416". SkyUp Airlines. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  6. ↑ "SkyUp MT Airline Profile". skyup.aero.
  7. ↑ "Airline and Airport Code Search". www.iata.org. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  8. ↑ "SkyUp MT Airline Profile | CAPA". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  9. 1 2 "Ukraine's SkyUp to launch in April 2018". ch-aviation.com. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  10. ↑ "Ukrainian Airline SkyUp Performs First Flight". cfts.org.ua. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 "Ukraine's SkyUp orders 5+5 B737 MAX; to launch in early 2Q18". ch-aviation. ch-aviation.com. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "Boeing, SkyUp Airlines Finalize Order for Five 737 MAX Airplanes". ch-aviation.com. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  13. 1 2 "New airline SkyUp to start operating from April 2018". interfax.com.ua. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "Ukraine's SkyUP to move from Zhuliany to Boryspil Airport". 112.international. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019.
  15. ↑ "The saga of David and Goliath on the outskirts of Kyiv". Atlantic Council. September 6, 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  16. ↑ ""Позивачка" до SkyUp дійшла до Верховного суду, щоб зупинити апеляцію авіаперевізника". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). 23 July 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  17. ↑ "Fingers point to monopolist Ukraine International Airlines as new low-coster SkyUp hit by court attack". Euromaidan press. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "The HCJ dismissed judge of Baryshivskyi district court of Kyiv region Lytvynenko O.L. from office for substantial disciplinary offense".
  19. ↑ "(ВІДЕО) У Харкові прикордонники забезпечили оформлення евакуйованих з КНР громадян".
  20. ↑ "We open Ukraine to the world: SkyUp brings the first tourists from Saudi Arabia". European Business Association. 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  21. ↑ "Flight attendants trade heels for sneakers on Ukraine's SkyUp Airlines". CNN. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  22. ↑ "Winners of the Ukraine Tourism Awards 2021". visitukraine.today. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  23. ↑ "To the Passengers of Cancelled SkyUp Flights". SkyUp Airlines. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  24. ↑ "SkyUp, together with Israeli humanitarian funds, transported 16 tons of cargo · p. 429". SkyUp Airlines. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  25. ↑ "SkyUp's call to the international business community: we can help Ukraine together · p. 431". SkyUp Airlines. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  26. ↑ Kaminski-Morrow, David. "Ukraine's SkyUp creates Maltese carrier to establish EU presence". FlightGlobal. DVV Media International. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  27. ↑ Curran, Andrew (5 January 2024). "Air Niugini adds wet-leased B737 capacity". ch-aviation. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  28. ↑ Luma, Dale (4 January 2024). "Air Niugini leases SkyUp plane". Post Courier. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  29. ↑ "SkyUp: Direct Flights from Chișinău to Thessaloniki and Heraklion in 2025".
  30. ↑ "SkyUp повертається і запускає 8 нових рейсів!". 11 December 2024.
  31. 1 2 3 Sipinski, Dominik (2026-05-26). "Ukraine's SkyUp Airlines retires last B737-700". ch-aviation.
  32. ↑ skyup.aero - All flights retrieved 10 October 2020
  33. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - SkyUp Airlines". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 77.
  34. ↑ iSport.ua (2019-04-09). "Шахтер показал самолет в фирменной ливрее в цветах клуба". iSport.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  35. ↑ HrechukhaFounder, Viktoriia; Aviaedge, journalist at; committee, member of the AAUCA (2026-05-03). "SkyUp Airlines: Operational Resilience, Transformation Strategy, and New Horizons". Aviaedge. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  36. ↑ "SkyUp Airlines welcomes its eleventh Boeing 737 | News | TAL Aviation". www.talaviation.com. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  37. ↑ Braganca, Luciano (2024-11-21). "SkyUp MT to wet-lease A321s for winter, summer seasons". ch-aviation.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ↑ Ma, Alexandra. "Video shows a Boeing 737 carrying 196 people burst into flames just after landing at an Egyptian airport". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  39. ↑ Kaminski-Morrow, David (2023-04-15). "Saudia A330 and SkyUp aircraft caught up in assault on Khartoum airport - FlightGlobal". FlightGlobal - Pioneering aviation news and insight. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
  40. ↑ Hogg, Ryan. "A Saudi Arabian airline said an A330 plane was involved in an 'accident' at Khartoum airport in Sudan". Business Insider.
  41. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Other Boeing 737-86Q (WL) UR-SQH, Saturday 15 April 2023". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
  42. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Unlawful Interference Boeing 737-8H6 (WL) UR-SQA, Saturday 15 April 2023". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
  43. ↑ Hradecky, Simon (4 November 2024). "Incident: SkyUp B738 near Warsaw on Jan 3rd 2024, loss of cabin pressure". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  44. 1 2 "Belavia bekommt durch Gambia-Trick drei Boeing 737, die einst in der Ukraine flogen". aeroTELEGRAPH (in Swiss High German). 2026-06-08. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  45. ↑ Sipinski, Dominik (2026-06-15). "Belarus' Belavia adds B737-800 imported via Gambia". ch-aviation. Retrieved 2026-06-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  46. ↑ TV, Belsat. "«Белавиа» рассказала о покупке трех Boeing 737. Оказалось, через Гамбию купили украинские". ru.belsat.eu (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  47. ↑ Batchelor, Tom (2025-06-09). "Belavia sidesteps sanctions with secondhand A330s". AGN. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  48. ↑ Sipinski, Dominik (2022-03-15). "Ukraine's SkyUp Airlines seeks ACMI deals for all B737s". ch-aviation. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  49. ↑ Свобода, Радіо (2026-07-17). "Авіакомпанія «Белавіа» розпочала експлуатацію третього отриманого з Гамбії літака Boeing (оновлено)". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  50. ↑ "Belavia news - BELAVIA - Belarusian Airlines". en.belavia.by. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  51. ↑ Salcedo, Dirk Andrei (2026-08-11). "Belarus' Belavia confirms purchase of three B737-800s". ch-aviation. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  52. ↑ MAX BARSKIH — Just Fly (Official Video), 19 August 2021, retrieved 2022-03-22
[edit]

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