Groysman comments on Ryanair’s potential base in Ukraine until Hostomel terminal launched

"While the terminal at the Hostomel Airport is being constructed, Boryspil and Zhulyany can temporarily provide their services to Ryanair," Groysman said.

The prime minister also noted that the launch of the terminal at the Hostomel Airport is possible in six months, stressing that the government had not been aware of the intention by Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan back in March to sign a memorandum with Ryanair.

Read alsoUIA to sue Infrastructure Ministry over alleged attempts to grant "exclusive conditions" to Ryanair"If we in the Cabinet knew this, we would have obliged Hostomel immediately to begin preparations for setting up a low cost terminal. The memorandum was signed in March, and in six months it would have been possible to make a top notch terminal, and all low-cost carriers would have started flying from Hostomel. Unfortunately, we lost time," the head of government said.

July 10, the Irish-based Ryanair announced the withdrawal from Ukrainian market citing non-compliance by the officials of the Boryspil Airport with the agreement previously reached with the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, and therefore canceled four new routes from Kyiv and another seven from Lviv.

CEO of the Boryspil Airport Pavlo Ryabikin said that he had not yet signed a cooperation agreement with Ryanair and considered it advisable to host the carrier at the Antonov International Airport, near Hostomel, instead of the Boryspil Airport.

According to Ryabikin, in case the contract with Ryanair is signed, Boryspil will annually under-receive some UAH 2 billion. He called the Ryanair contract financially unprofitable for his company and refused to sign it until the airport's requirements have been taken into account.