Ukrainian airline, Air Ocean Airlines, wants to resume flights from Uzhhorod, according to the airline's director, Vyacheslav Geriga, as reported by avianews.
Geriga stated that Air Ocean Airlines could restart flights from Uzhhorod if it is deemed safe. The airport is located near the Slovakian border, and the aircraft immediately enters the airspace of a NATO member country after takeoff.
"The Uzhhorod airport is situated near the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains from the side of Slovakia and relatively protected from the east. The runway has dimensions of 2038 by 40 meters, which is sufficient for the safe takeoff and landing of An-148-100E aircraft," the airline explained in its justification, which was sent to the Ukrainian authorities.
Since 2021, Air Ocean Airlines has operated as a full-service regional carrier, flying from Kyiv to Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Chernivtsi, and Kharkiv, as well as from Lviv to Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. However, in January 2022, the company announced the cancellation of all flights for two months.
Air Ocean Airlines used to operate flights on An-148 aircraft, owned by the Cypriot company Cyprus Aircraft Leasing 2. In May of the same year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Cyprus Aircraft Leasing 2, involving the freezing of the company's assets.
The company has expressed readiness to lease the An-148 aircraft directly to the state after the completion of their nationalization procedure.
If Uzhhorod airport is not reopened for passenger flights, Air Ocean Airlines is prepared to work abroad under wet leasing terms - leasing the aircraft along with the crew to other airlines like SkyUp, "Rosa Vitriv," Skyline Express (formerly Azur Air Ukraine).
