KHARKOV, 17 December (BelTA) – Belavia passenger traffic between Belarus and Ukraine has increased approximately three times since 25 October, Igor Cherginets, Deputy Director General for Marketing and Foreign Economic Affairs at OAO Belavia airline, told reporters, BelTA learned.
"Now, with more flights added to Kiev and a new flight to Odessa, the passenger traffic to Ukraine increased by about three times. Today we inaugurated a flight to Kharkov. I think the number of passengers between Belarus and Ukraine Belarus will continue increasing," he said.
According to Igor Cherginets, the occupancy rate on flights to Kiev is very high. "Odessa has reached almost the same level, although at first it was a bit lower. Now we will be working closely on the flight route to Kharkov,” he noted.
On 22 December Belavia intends to open a fourth daily flight between Minsk and Kiev International Airport (Zhulyany). "We see an increase in the number of transit passengers. To satisfy the demand, we decided to add the fourth flight to Kiev International Airport. The airport is located within the city limits, which will help many passengers save time on the journey to the airport,” Belavia Director General Anatoly Gusarov said.
The passenger traffic between Minsk and Kiev has increase significantly since 25 October when Russia and Ukraine suspended the air service. According to Igor Cherginets, Belavia now carries about 500 people per day on the Minsk-Kiev route. For ten days, the number made up about 5,000 correspondingly. Previously, Belavia carried such a number of passengers on the Minsk-Kiev route per month. The increase in the passenger traffic, according to Igor Cherginets, was achieved due to the growth in the number of transit passengers from Ukraine to Russia and from Russia to Ukraine via Minsk.
Igor Cherginets also noted that passengers from Ashgabat and Tashkent actively use Belavia's services too. They fly to Minsk and then to Kiev. "In addition, we have a good percentage of transit passengers from Kazakhstan,” said Igor Cherginets.
As was reported, Ukraine banned incoming flights by Russian airlines, and also banned, partially or completely, transit flights by Russian air carriers across the country. Russia responded by closing its airspace to Ukrainian airlines starting from 25 October.
Belavia is the largest air carrier in Belarus by the number of passengers and cargoes it transports. In January 2014 the Belarusian airline acquired a legal status of an open joint stock company. Belavia operates 27 aircraft, and offers regulars flights to 46 destinations in Europe and Asia. Belavia joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 1997 and the European Regions Airline Association (ERAA) in 2010. In January-August 2015 Belavia's passenger traffic increased by 5% over the same period last year.
