Air Ukraine
Encyclopedia
Air Ukraine was a state-owned airline
from Ukraine
, serving as flag carrier
of the country from 1992 to 2002. Headquartered in Kiev
, Air Ukraine operated scheduled passenger and cargo flights mostly on domestice routes or within the Commonwealth of Independent States
, but also to other European cities and to North America.
during 1990 and 1991 lead to the split-up of former national carrier Aeroflot
in 1992, with Air Ukraine being founded out of the Kiev directorate. Soon, other Ukrainian divisions were merged into it to create a national airline.
In December 2002, Air Ukraine was declared to be bankrupt. Attempts to relaunch the company by merging it with Aerosvit Airlines
or Ukraine International Airlines
failed, and the airline license
was finally withdrawn on 23 July 2004.
The large number of Soviet-made former Aeroflot aircraft came to Air Ukraine upon its foundation in 1992, with most of them being phased out over the following years. When the airline was shut down in 2002, only three Tupolev Tu-134
and one Tu-154 were operational.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, serving as flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
of the country from 1992 to 2002. Headquartered in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Air Ukraine operated scheduled passenger and cargo flights mostly on domestice routes or within the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
, but also to other European cities and to North America.
History
The Dissolution of the Soviet UnionDissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
during 1990 and 1991 lead to the split-up of former national carrier Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
in 1992, with Air Ukraine being founded out of the Kiev directorate. Soon, other Ukrainian divisions were merged into it to create a national airline.
In December 2002, Air Ukraine was declared to be bankrupt. Attempts to relaunch the company by merging it with Aerosvit Airlines
Aerosvit Airlines
AeroSvit Airlines closed joint stock company , operating as AeroSvit - Ukrainian Airlines / АероСвіт, is one of the Ukrainian flag carriers. Its head office is on the grounds of Boryspil International Airport in Boryspil, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine...
or Ukraine International Airlines
Ukraine International Airlines
CJSC Ukraine International Airlines , Aviyakompaniya Mizhnarodni Avialiniyi Ukrayiny) is one of the flag carriers of Ukraine, based in Kiev. It operates scheduled domestic and international passenger and cargo services to cities in western Europe...
failed, and the airline license
Air Operator's Certificate
An air operator's certificate is the approval granted from a national aviation authority to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public...
was finally withdrawn on 23 July 2004.
Fleet
Over the years, Air Ukraine operated the following aircraft types:| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Total Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonov An-12 Antonov An-12 The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10.-Design and development:... |
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| Antonov An-24 Antonov An-24 The Antonov An-24 is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau from 1957.-Design and development:... |
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| Antonov An-26 Antonov An-26 The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the USSR from 12 March 1968.-Development:... |
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| Antonov An-30 Antonov An-30 The Antonov An-30 , is a development of the An-24 designed for aerial cartography.-Development:The first aerial survey version of the Antonov An-24 was designed by the Beriev OKB and designated An-24FK. The FK stood for fotokartograficheskiy . The prototype was converted from a production An-24A at... |
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| Antonov An-32 Antonov An-32 The Antonov An-32 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft.-Design and development:The An-32 is basically a re-engined An-26. The launch customer was the Indian Air Force, which ordered this aircraft partly due to good relations between then USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and then... |
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| Antonov An-124 Antonov An-124 The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It was designed by the Ukrainian SSR's Antonov design bureau, then part of the Soviet Union. It is the world's largest ever serially-manufactured cargo airplane and world's second largest operating cargo aircraft... |
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| Boeing 737-200 | |||
| Boeing 737-300 | |||
| Boeing 737-400 | |||
| Ilyushin Il-18 Ilyushin Il-18 The Ilyushin Il-18 is a large turboprop airliner that became one of the best known Soviet aircraft of its era as well as one of the most popular and durable, having first flown in 1957 and still in use over 50 years later. The Il-18 was one of the world's principal airliners for several decades... |
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| Ilyushin Il-62 Ilyushin Il-62 The Ilyushin Il-62 is a Soviet long-range jet airliner conceived in 1960 by Ilyushin. As successor to the popular turbo-prop Il-18 and with capacity for almost 200 passengers, the Il-62 was the largest jet airliner when it first flew in 1963. It entered Aeroflot service on 15 September 1967 with... |
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| Ilyushin Il-76 Ilyushin Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engined strategic airlifter designed by Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967. Intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-12, the Il-76 was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas... |
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| Let L-410 Turbolet |
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| Tupolev Tu-134 Tupolev Tu-134 The Tupolev Tu-134 is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9 and the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966–1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners , it can operate from unpaved... |
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| Tupolev Tu-154 Tupolev Tu-154 The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown... |
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| Yakovlev Yak-40 Yakovlev Yak-40 The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a small, three-engined airliner that is often called the first regional jet transport aircraft... |
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| Yakovlev Yak-42 Yakovlev Yak-42 The Yakovlev Yak-42 is a 100/120-seat three-engined mid-range passenger jet. It was designed as a replacement for several obsolete Aeroflot jets as a mid-range passenger jet... |
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The large number of Soviet-made former Aeroflot aircraft came to Air Ukraine upon its foundation in 1992, with most of them being phased out over the following years. When the airline was shut down in 2002, only three Tupolev Tu-134
Tupolev Tu-134
The Tupolev Tu-134 is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9 and the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966–1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners , it can operate from unpaved...
and one Tu-154 were operational.
Incidents
- On 5 September 1992, the crew of an Air Ukraine Tupolev Tu-154Tupolev Tu-154The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown...
(registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
CCCP-85269) with 147 people onboard had to execute a belly-landing at Boryspil International Airport because the landing gear could not be deployed. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. - On 27 October 1993, the nosegear of an Air Ukraine Let L-410 Turbolet (registered UR-67536) was torn off while on the ground at Tyumen AirportRoschino International Airport-External links:*...
when the pilots accidentally maneuvered the aircraft with eight people on board off the paved taxiwayTaxiwayA taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
. - On 23 January 1995, another Turbolet (registered UR-67115) was destroyed when it crashed on a frozen lake whilst approaching Provedenia Airport in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
because of an engine failure. The three crew members on board had been on an empty ferry flight from Anadyr AirportUgolny AirportUgolny Airport is a mixed-use military and civil airfield in Siberia located 11 km east of Anadyr, separated from the town by the waters of Anadyrsky Liman...
, which was planned to continue onwards to HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, to were the aircraft had been sold. There were no fatalities. - On 4 April of the same year, the pilots of an Air Ukraine Antonov An-26Antonov An-26The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the USSR from 12 March 1968.-Development:...
(registered UR-26049) tried to take off from Palana AirportPalana AirportPalana Airport is an airport in Koryak Okrug, Russia located 4 km west of Palana. It services small transports. There is also the Palana New Airport, which appeared to be under construction around 2000 in Google Earth imagery....
without having released the brakes. The aircraft thus was not able to get airborne, and overshot the runway, being damaged beyond economical repair. The nine persons that had been on the chartered flight to Ust-Pakhachi AirportUst-Pakhachi AirportUst-Pakhachi Airport is an airport in Koryak Okrug, Russia located 2kmW of Ust-Pakhachi. It services small transport aircraft....
survived the accident.