OREANDA-NEWS. July 22, 2014. www.hubs.com.ua released an article by Vitaliy Ermakov stating that Ukraine International Airlines intend to lease 85% of the carrier`s fleet.

This information is INCONSISTENT WITH FACTS.

UIA Press Service received neither written requests nor queries-by-mail from the journalist. Referring to the fleet issue UIA informs of the following.

Amid the 2014 crisis UIA regards the so-called wet leasing (i.e. leasing aircraft, crew and maintenance) as one of the possible tactic solutions to the falling demand for traveling from, to and via Ukraine. Wet leasing will allow UIA to preserve jobs and keep experienced staff employed.

UIA regards the Boeing website as an info platform to offer aircraft to potential lessees; thus, the website contains information on all UIA aircraft. Still UIA intends to wet lease up to 4 aircraft (some of them have been already leased) in summer 2014 and up to 2 aircraft in winter 2014/2015.

As part of fleet optimization program, UIA has already wet leased 3 aircraft: 2 medium-haul Boeing 737 aircraft and 1 long-haul Boeing 767 aircraft.

Moreover, 3 Boeing 737 Classic aircraft (2 Boeing 737-500 aircraft and 1 Boeing 737-400 aircraft) are currently withdrawn out of operation and are being re-leased to the lessors due to lease contracts` expiration.

Thus, UIA currently operates 37 aircraft: 12 Boeing 737 NG aircraft, 17 Boeing 737 Classic aircraft, 3 long-haul Boeing 767 aircraft, and 5 Embraer 190 aircraft.

As previously reported, UIA plans to be operating 34 – 35 aircraft by 2014 yearend.
UIA Press Service always looks for cooperation with mass media and seeks to comply with all requests to provide information and to comment ASAP in order to prevent inadequate information and wild guesses dissemination. In case Vitaliy Ermakov had troubled to contact UIA Press Service and to get official information, the abovementioned meaningless and unprofessional article would have never been published and republished by other media. UIA Press Service addresses the Hubs.com.ua and other websites` management offering to publish the correct information on UIA fleet.