First rise in passengers for ten years

Published: 7/13/2000

Donetsk Airlines, the third largest airline in the Ukraine recorded a 7% rise in traffic during the irst half of 2000 over same period of 1999,according to Aleksandr Koshevoi, the head of the airline's ticket sales agency. For Donetsk, this is the first passenger growth that they have seen in the last ten years, with passenger numbers having fallen from 1m in the late 1980s to only 91,000 in 1999. The airline is now dependent on flights to Kiev, flying three times a day during high season, and to Moscow, which is currently flown ten times a week. The latter is the most lucrative of the airline's routes and recently has been the subject of a route-sharing agreement with Moscow carrier AviaExpressCruise. The airline has recently opened a regular service to Kuhln in Germnay using a modified Yak-42D to comply with German flight requirements and is initially providing one flight a week. During the summer, charter services fly to Antalia, Varna, Cyprus, Crete, Dubai, Khurgada, Istambul, Aphines and Aleppo. The historically 'shop-tourism' flights to Turkey and Dubai have declined as import agencies increase their share in trade with these countries and make the products available in the Ukraine at competitive prices. The airline however, continues to offer special packages to 'shop-tourists' by linking the flights of Yak-42s with leased An-12 freighters to carry the passengers' purchases. The airline's own An-26 with a cargo capacity of 4 tons is considered too small for the passenger's freight. The company currently operates a fleet of 12 Yak-42s, eight An-24s, one An-26 and a Yak-40 and says that it is looking at the An-140 as a replacement for the ageing An-24s. The price of $6-7m according to Koshevoi, makes the purchase of the aircraft almost impossible for Ukrainian carriers. They remain interested however, in acquiring the plane on suitable financial or operational lease terms.

Article ID: 1930