Another Ukrainian airline is resuming flights. However, Azur Air Ukraine now has a new name.
Launched last summer, Mavi Gök Airlines probably would not have existed without the Russian attack on Ukraine. The airline belongs to Anex Tourism Group, whose airlines Azur Air Ukraine and Azur Air (Russia) are struggling because of the war.
Azur Air Russia is struggling with a lack of aircraft and spare parts due to Western sanctions. Before the war, it flew to 29 international destinations from 40 Russian cities. Since last summer, Russia has only been linked to one country: Turkey.
No longer Azur Air Ukraine, but Skyline Express: Ukrainian airline returns with a new name
Azur Air Ukraine has been on the ground since the outbreak of war – until now. After a break of more than a year, the airline has resumed its flight operations, reports the Ukrainian portal Avia News. A Boeing 757-300 has been connecting Polish cities such as Warsaw and Katowice with hot water destinations in Turkey and North Africa since mid-May.
The airline is no longer called Azur Air Ukraine, but Skyline Express Airline. According to Avia News, she changed her name in March 2023. Behind the renaming could be the desire of Anex Tourism Group not to be more or less associated with Russia. Azur Air Russia is still owned by the Turkish-Dutch tour operator.
Sky Up and Windrose Airlines have also returned
Azur Air Ukraine was founded in 2009 as a subsidiary of Russia’s Utair under the name Utair Ukraine. At the end of November 2015, the Turkish tour operator Anex Tour took over the airline and renamed it Azur Air Ukraine.
According to the aviation data portal CH Aviation, the airline currently flies with a Boeing 757-300. The machine with the registration UR-SLE belongs to Mavi Gök Airlines and is almost 24 years old. Until January 2023, the machine flew as D-ABOE for the German holiday airline Condor.
Skyline Express is the next Ukrainian airline to resume passenger services after the Russian invasion. Sky Up has now also obtained an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in Malta. Windrose Airlines flies from Poland and Latvia to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.
