Which Commercial Aircraft Are Still Stranded In Ukraine?
Only two commercial jets have been rescued since the war broke out.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian charter carrier SkyUp Airlines managed to rescue one of its Boeing 737-800s, flying it from Kyiv across the border to Romania. This then begs the question - just how many aircraft are still stranded in Ukraine over a year after the Russian invasion?
Dozens of aircraft still stuck in Ukraine
According to a report from FlightRadar24.com, 29 planes remain stuck in Ukraine, the majority of which were operated by Ukrainian airlines. Along with nine planes operated by flag carrier Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), Windrose Airlines has ten, Motor Sich Airlines has seven, and Hungarian airline Wizz Air has three planes stranded in the country - as revealed by Aviacionline, there are also eight aircraft operated by Azur Air Ukraine stuck in Kyiv, making it 37 in total.
The majority of UIA's jets are grounded at Kyiv Boryspil International Airport (KBP), including four Boeing 737s and four Embraer E190/E195s, with a single E190 stuck at Odesa International Airport in Southern Ukraine. All three of Wizz's aircraft (Airbus A320s) are at the Ukrainian capital's second airport - Kyiv Zhuliany (IEV) - while Windrose and Motor Sich find their planes scattered across a wider range of airports, including Kyiv Boryspil, Dnipro International Airport (DNK), Zaporizhzhia International Airport (OZH), Kharkiv International Airport (HRK) and Mykolaiv International Airport (NLV).
Lessors take a hit
A look at each plane still stranded in Ukraine reveals that the majority are owned by leasing companies and not the airlines. While the figure of 37 aircraft is still a far cry from the approximately 400 lost in Russia, it is still a major blow for lessors. Read More…
