Prime Minister: Passenger ought to be in the spotlight of development of air transport industry of Ukraine, conditions of work - equal and competitive

Ukrainian passenger should be in the focus of development of the transport industry, in particular in the field of air transportation and the working conditions ought to be equal and competitive for different market participants, asserted Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman during a special meeting on air traffic development in Ukraine.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Antimonopoly Committee, the State Property Fund of Ukraine, leadership of the Borispol and the Kyiv (Zhulyany) airports as well as Association "Airports of Ukraine" and the Director of the Investment Support Office of Ukraine Danylo Bilak.

«The focus is on passengers and price competition. There is a passenger and there are basic conditions designed to attract airlines», accentuated the Head of Government, adding that such basic conditions may be the subject of discussions based on clear economic indicators.

In the context of the meeting, the Prime Minister commented on the refusal of the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair to enter the Ukrainian market. He stressed the importance of analyzing the situation, assessing the progress of Ryanair's negotiations with Ukrainian airports and proposing solutions that could be mutually beneficial to market participants. «We are open and ready to attract various airlines, including companies that operate on the low-cost model. But not at any cost. Working environment must be competitive. We offer to all participants the same basic conditions», emphasized the Prime Minister.

Moreover, Volodymyr Groysman added that he could not rule out the possibility of the reset of the negotiation process with Ryanair based on economic calculations and the need for development, including regional airport infrastructure.

«I understand that it is necessary to adopt a number of decisions. We have heard that there is suspicion that negotiation process was non-transparent, thereby it is crucial to appeal to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and Antimonopoly Committee in order to assess whether there is abuse of monopoly status. It is of utmost importance to restart the negotiation process with Ryanair. I call on the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, the leadership of the Boryspil airport, as well as the Investment Support Office to engage in the process. I urge to step up the work on drawing up the strategy for the transport industry development in its air segment and to show how we will develop airline infrastructure. Lack of strategy raises a question», the Prime Minister claimed.

The Prime Minister emphasized that it is crucial to ensure passengers from Ukraine and abroad to benefit from all results. «I commissioned to elaborate the said Strategy by September, but I would ask to bring the presentation closer to August. I would like to see the strategy of development of air direction - airports, airlines and attraction of low-cost companies We will attract the said companies transparently, in as short a time as possible and on an equal footing. I am waiting for proposals», underscored Volodymyr Groysman.