Ukraine To Re-Open International Airport In Lviv? President Putin Must Provide Assurances For Safety Of Commercial Aircraft- Only President Erdogan Can Secure Those Assurances. Turkish Airlines First?
Ukraine May Re-Open International Airport In Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport (LWO).
Turkish Airlines And Turkish Cargo Must Be First To Schedule Flights.
President Putin Will Need To Provide Assurances For Safety Of Commercial Aircraft- And Only President Erdogan Can Secure Those Assurances.
International Insurance Companies Will Likely Seek A US$1.1 Billion Patriot Missile Battery At LWO
Government Of Ukraine May Need To Provide Additional Insurance Coverage For Aircraft, Crews, Passengers. Indemnifying Airlines From Lawsuits?
Passengers Signing Waivers.
Russian Federation May Require No Military Personnel On Flights; No Military Cargo.
Time For The Airborne Embassy And Airborne Chamber Of Commerce To Return.
As President Erdogan Was Instrumental In The Birth Of The Black Sea Grain Initiative, So Should He Again Wield His Multilateral Influence For The Rebirth Of Commercial Air Service To Ukraine.
Prior to 24 February 2022, Istanbul, Turkey-based Turkish Airlines (Türk Hava Yolları) and Turkish Cargo provided multiple flights per day from Istanbul (IST) into Boryspil International Airport (KBP) in Kyiv, Ukraine, and into Igor Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport- Kiev Zhuliany International Airport (IEV) in Kyiv, Ukraine. The government of Turkiye has a 49.13% shareholding in Turkish Airlines- with operational control.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye (2014- ), used his relationships with Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation (2000-2008 and 2012- ), and Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine (2019- ), to obtain on 20 December 2022 the return of two Turkish Air Force Airbus A400M military transport aircraft that were stranded at KBP on 24 February 2022. And the government of Turkiye negotiated the return of six Turkish merchant vessels stranded at ports in Ukraine, again with the cooperation of President Putin and President Zelensky. There remain approximately sixty merchant vessels stranded at ports in Ukraine- and reportedly President Erdogan is working to return them to their owners.
During the tenure of President Erdogan, Turkish Airlines has become an Airborne Embassy and Turkish Cargo has become an Airborne Chamber of Commerce. IST has become the fifth busiest airport in the world.
From The Government of Ukraine (8 June 2023): “The Danylo Halytskyi Lviv International Airport can resume its operations within a humanitarian corridor initiative. This was announced by the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, after Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction, Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov and EU Commissioner for Transport Adina-Ioana Vălean signed the Connecting Europe Facility program, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "We discussed the possibility of opening the Lviv Airport. This is one of the important things that we are really looking forward to. We hope that since there is currently a grain corridor operating, there can also be a humanitarian one ensured by the European Union," said Kozytskyi. At the same time, the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration noted that thanks to the EU program, the number of border checkpoints in the region will be increased, while the motorway and railway infrastructure will be improved. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Agreement on Ukraine's participation in the Connecting Europe Facility program was signed in the Lviv RMA. As part of the Facility, the EU allocates EUR 33 billion for the development of Ukrainian transport infrastructure. The signing will open up new opportunities toward the reconstruction of Ukraine and its critical infrastructure destroyed by Russia’s war of aggression. The association with the EU infrastructure fund will help Ukraine integrate into the EU Single Market, promote economic growth, create new jobs, and increase competitiveness. The Connecting Europe Facility program for 2021-2027 provides funding and grants for the implementation of projects in the field of transport in the amount of EUR 25.8 billion, with another EUR 5.8 billion being allocated for energy and EUR 2 billion – for digital development.”
Ukraine Business News (8 June 2023): “Moreover, yesterday the Lviv administrative officials said they are considering a partial reopening of their airspace, and the Lviv International Airport may start accepting flights soon, which is another positive sign of slight recovery. Even if this recovery concerns only the western regions, it is still a small victory for the country.”
On 24 February 2022, the armed forces of the Russian Federation invaded and further invaded the territory of Ukraine in what President Putin defined as a Special Military Operation [SMO] then on 22 December 2022 he redefined as a war. The initial invasion by the armed forces of the Russian Federation was in part from the territory of Belarus.
The war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine did not commence on 24 February 2022. The roots began their trajectories on 20 February 2014 when the armed forces of the Russian Federation invaded the Crimean Peninsula and the area known as the Donbas Region (Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast).
President Erdogan has since 24 February 2022 maintained and increased substantially varying levels of commercial, economic, financial, humanitarian, military, and political relationships with the public sectors and the private sectors in the Russian Federation and in Ukraine:
Turkish Airlines maintains a critical transportation lifeline for citizens (and government officials) of the Russian Federation to connect through Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) with other countries. Turkish Airlines operating sometimes five flights per day to Vnukovo International Airport (VKO) in Moscow are the only efficient means for official and unofficial conduits to engage with the Putin Administration. Turkish Airlines has not since 24 February 2022 sought to resume operations to any airport in Ukraine, including those furthest to the west and from active war zones, for example LWO which is near the border with the Republic of Poland. Since 24 February 2022, the government of Ukraine has closed its airspace to commercial aviation and general aviation.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the United States Department of Commerce has remained poised for months to implement sanctions upon operators of airports in Turkiye. Targets include: Istanbul, Turkiye-based Istanbul Grand Airports (iGA) and Istanbul, Turkiye-based TAV Airports Holding (TAV), a subsidiary of Paris, France-based Aeroports de Paris (Groupe ADP). Airport targets include: Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST); the capital, Ankara (ESB); and resort areas of Antalya (AYT), Bodrum (BJV), and Dalaman (DLM). These airports have thus far refused to suspend authorization for Moscow, Russian Federation-based PJSC Aeroflot Airlines and Minsk, Belarus-based Belavia Airlines to operate absent a license from the BIS aircraft manufactured Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing Company.
Istanbul, Turkiye-based Karpowership, a member of Istanbul, Turkiye-based Karadeniz Energy Group, which is a subsidiary of Istanbul, Turkiye-based Karadeniz Holding, signed an agreement with Ukraine government-operated JSC Energy Company of Ukraine (ECU) to provide electricity generating vessels which would be moored in Ukraine territorial waters near Moldova and Romania. Currently, approximately 22.2% of the 36-vessel Karpowership fleet operates in the Republic of Cuba providing the archipelago with approximately 25% of its electricity.
