Ukraine’s major airline will perform at least eight flights to return Ukrainians from abroad on March 23-28. The locations are from Brussels, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Baku, Dubai, New York and Toronto. The bookings are available for March 23 – 28, according to Ukraine International Airlines’ (UIA) statement.
Toronto’s special flight has already been dubbed as potentially “one of the largest operations of all currently under way by the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine,” said Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko. He also noted that he and colleagues from the Consulate of Ukraine in Toronto will be at the airport to resolve the possible issues.
UIA scheduled its flight from Kyiv to Toronto on March 25, and on March 26 Ukrainian citizens (and holders of residence permits in Ukraine, diplomats, their families) will be able to board the plane at Toronto Pearson Airport at 5 pm local time. Arrival to Kyiv is expected on March 27 at 9:30 a.m. Tickets are available on the UIA website. The Toronto-Kyiv flight starts at Hr 13,681 (nearly $500) for economy class.
Shevchenko adds that there won’t be a free flight to Ukraine.
“We understand the desire of many to make UIA a free flight on Thursday. It will not be so. In the absolute majority of cases, where commercial carriers are involved in returning citizens of Ukraine, Canada, and other countries back home, the passenger pays for the ticket. We are grateful to UIA for its readiness to fly in the current environment and we ask everyone to understand the Ukrainian airline, which is going through the most difficult year in its history. We are counting on a fair ticket price.”
The ambassador also notes that if the person is unsure about their eligibility for the March 26 flight, they need to contact the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada.
Ukraine International Airlines continues to monitor demand for flights from Bangkok, Denpasar, La Romana.
The Cabinet of Ministers on March 14 approved a resolution to temporarily ban foreigners from entering Ukraine and closed the international passenger service. The temporary ban on entry into the territory of Ukraine for foreign nationals came into force on March 16, 2020, and will last until April 3, 2020. From March 17, 2020, to April 3, 2020, the border crossing points across the state border of Ukraine will be closed for air, rail and bus passenger transportation.
SkyUp low-cost airlines also stepped up and will perform a number of special flights this week to bring Ukrainian citizens home. On March 24, SkyUp will fly from Vienna, Zagreb, Alicante, Male, Lisbon and Colombo. The booking is available via the website.
CORONAVIRUS IN UKRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- There have been 84 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine. The first case was identified on March 3.
- Three people have died from COVID-19 in Ukraine. One person recovered.
- Three Ukrainians died from COVID-19 in Italy.
- How the Ukrainian government has been responding: TIMELINE
- To fight the spread of the virus, Ukraine shut down public transportation, domestic travel, restaurants.
- Kyiv went into quarantine, shutting down everything by supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, gas stations.
- Ukrainian lawmaker tested positive for COVID-19.
- Misinformation on coronavirus is going viral in Ukraine.
- Doctor’s advice: How to stay safe.
- Foreign Ministry: What you need to know about traveling to and from Ukraine now
- Why the Kyiv Post isn’t making its coverage free in the times of COVID-19.
More on effects on economy:
- Here’s what the virus is doing to Ukraine’s economy.
- Ukrainian businesses respond to the crisis.
- The virus disrupts the transport sector. Ukrainian airlines canceled some flights to 16 countries due to the novel coronavirus.
- The National Bank of Ukraine continued to cut the policy rate while trying to buffer the hryvnia from coronavirus panic.
- The former minister of economy says half a million Ukrainians may lose their jobs in the COVID-19 crisis.
