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Editor's note: The story was updated with additional comments by Marsh McLennan Senior Partner Crispin Ellison.
Ukraine's airport, Lviv or Boryspil near Kyiv, will resume operations by the end of January 2025, Marsh McLennan Senior Partner Crispin Ellison said at the Kyiv International Economic Forum on Nov. 7.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's airspace has been closed to all flights due to the risk of Russian attacks. The Ukrainian government has nonetheless looked for ways to restore the industry during the war.
Under favorable circumstances, according to Ellison, five or six airlines could agree to operate flights from Ukraine in January.
Securing insurance for aviation will be easier if planes use Lviv Airport, but President Volodymyr Zelensky insists that Boryspil International Airport be opened first, Ellison added.
"Opening Lviv is the beginning of a journey to opening up Boryspil," Ellison told a Kyiv Independent reporter.
The passenger Airbus-320 and Boeing-737, as well as the small passenger airliner, will require insurance covering a sum of at least $750 million, according to Marsh McLennan Senior Partner.
The Presidential Office will make the final decision on the flights, taking into account the security situation and the performance of Ukrainian air defense.
"What we need is a confirmation around the (air) defenses and the military situation, which allows regulatory sign off," Ellison added.
The Communities and Territories Development Ministry presented in late October a roadmap for partially opening Ukraine's airspace. The ministry did not say which airports would open under the plan.
On April 11, 2023, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) published a seven-year forecast that included the likelihood of restrictions over Ukrainian airspace remaining in place until 2029.
The State Enterprise for Air Traffic Services said in 2023 that Ukrainian airspace "will reopen after the war ends."
Daria Shulzhenko
