UTair to increase number of flights to Ukraine within 2 weeks

Russian airline UTair plans to increase the number of flights to Ukraine, its Chief Executive Officer Andrei Martirosov told TASS on Tuesday. "We’re now studying the issue and I cannot give details regarding dates and number of flights as the situation is changing very quickly," he said when answering the question about the planned number of flights. The final decision on adding flights will be made within up to 2 weeks, Martirosov said. "I think within 10 days — 2 weeks at most we will take all necessary decisions," he said. The company was not included in Ukraine’s sanctions list unlike Russia’s top airline Aeroflot (has flights to Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov) and its 3 subsidiaries — Rossiya, Donavia, and Orenburg Airlines, as well as Russia’s second-biggest airline Transaero, which has recently merged with Aeroflot, S7/Sibir airline (third-largest in terms of flights) and Ural Airlines (fifth-largest). Globus, VIM-Avia, Kogalymavia, Gazpromavia, and Red Wings were also included in the list. Ukraine informed Russian airlines on the ban on their flights to the country on September 25. "The government of Ukraine makes a decision to ban flights of Russian airlines to Ukraine," Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said. "The cabinet of ministers also bans transit flights of Russian air carriers across the territory of Ukraine if they carry goods of defense or dual purpose or Russian manpower," PM added.