One of Ukraine’s airports, Lviv or Boryspil, may resume operations by the end of January 2025. Crispin Allison, senior partner at Marsh McLennan, made this forecast, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
‘I think if we are lucky, in January (2025) we will have five or six airlines that will want to fly (from Ukraine – ed.),’ Ellison said at the 10th Kyiv International Economic Forum.
He said it would be easier to secure flight insurance if flights started from Lviv, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly insists on opening Boryspil airport first.
‘The president will hate me for saying this, because he is focused on Boryspil, but the initial focus is Lviv. It’s aseven-minute flight from Poland,’ Ellison explained, emphasising that Marsh McLennan is a leader in insurance intermediation.
The expert estimated that for aircraft such as Airbus-320 and Boeing-737, it is necessary to provide insurance coverage worth at least three quarters of a billion dollars.
Ellison also noted that the final decision on the resumption of flights will be made by the Office of the President and will depend on the level of security, in particular the reliability of the air defence system.
‘I always emphasise that Lviv is safer than Tel Aviv. Not everyone likes it, but it is a fact,’ he added.
Earlier, the agency reported that, according to an anonymous government source, flights could be resumed by the end of winter 2025, and the government is actively looking for effective insurance mechanisms. Discussions are underway to launch flights from Boryspil or Lviv.
‘President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal insist on Boryspil, as they fear that if Lviv is launched first, Boryspil airport will not be able to be launched before the end of martial law,’ the report said, citing sources.
