Thursday, August 13, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal got familiarized with the activities of the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company (KSAMC) during a working trip to Kharkiv region.

The Prime Minister chaired a meeting with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Uruskyy, Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Kryklii, MPs, the management of the KSAMC, Kharkiv Regional State Administration, representatives of Ukroboronprom and Trade Union of Aircraft Builders of Ukraine.

Denys Shmyhal stressed that the problems of the KSAMC were long lasting: "That's why we came to find joint solutions."

According to him, together with the Ministry of Finance, a plan for rehabilitation and development of KSAMC will be approved, which will allow the company to open orders, receive resources and spend them on the purchase of equipment and manufacturing of new aircraft.

"The next stage is the development of an export promotion program. We discussed the legislative changes that need to be carried out. And also the ways of financing necessary for the enterprise to operate. For example, we plan to order two planes next year so that the company can develop, pay taxes and provide jobs," the Prime Minister stressed.

Denys Shmyhal noted the importance of aviation enterprises for the Ukrainian economy. According to him, one workplace at the aircraft manufacturing company creates 50 jobs in related industries, which provide components and maintenance services.

"Enterprises such as the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company should be a symbol of the revival of our domestic industry in Ukraine. Step by step, we will take measures to ensure that the company has prospects for development," the Prime Minister stressed.

Denys Shmyhal also added that following the meeting a decision was taken to create a working group.

"We have agreed that a working group headed by the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Strategic Industries will be set up immediately, which will work out the necessary approaches to solving the problem of the aviation industry in the next two or three weeks," the Head of Government said.

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Strategic Industries Oleh Uruskyy noted that the transformation of Ukroboronprom is to be held in the near future, as a result of which two leading holding companies will be formed. One of those will focus on the functions of the defense industry, and the other will be responsible for the aviation and space industry.

"Such a synergy of two high-tech industries of Ukraine, as the aircraft and rocket and space industries, will allow us to significantly improve the performance we are currently demonstrating. And most important is to create mechanisms to attract investment in this area so that to compete in the world market," said Oleh Uruskyy.

For his part, the Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Kryklii added that on behalf of the President and the Prime Minister and in order to implement the decision of the Government, the Ministry is approaching the stage of developing an aviation strategy, the center of which will be aircraft construction. The Government also plans to create a national air carrier.

The model envisages that Antonov aircraft will be used for regional transportation. And the airline will be able to provide quality services and at the same time be competitive at the level of regional and international passenger traffic, making the most of the capacity of our aircraft industry," added Vladyslav Kryklii.