RYANAIR could have as many as five million passengers per year in Ukraine within a year or two of reopening its skies.
Airline boss Michael O’Leary made the claim as the low-cost airline prepares for a return to the war-torn country.
With US President Donald Trump vowing to bring the war in Ukraine to an end soon, airlines including Ryanair and its low-cost competitor Wizz Air are getting in position to resuming flights.
CEO O’Leary said: “Straight out-of-the-box we have two million seats in there within six weeks (of the sky reopening) and then I think we would want to open bases both in Kyiv and Lviv within 12 months.
“I think we could go from two to five million passengers within a year or two.”
He said returning to some other airports in Ukraine could take longer due to greater damage from the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
He said the airline wanted to have six to eight routes to Ukraine from Poland.
Ryanair will launch 24 new routes from Poland this summer.
Speaking at a press conference in Warsaw yesterday, O’Leary added: “Fares will grow between four and six per cent this year, so you’ll still be travelling at slightly cheaper prices than in the summer of 2023.”
The Irish airline experienced a 10 per cent fall in fares over its two summer quarters last year, in part due to a dispute with online travel agents.
