The Ukrainian low-cost airline Skyup Airlines was able to obtain the so-called IOSA safety audit despite the war that is currently raging in the carrier's home country. This is considered the gold standard and is very important for cooperation with other aviation companies.

There are some companies, such as the Lufthansa Group, that generally only enter into cooperation with companies that have this internationally recognized audit. This applies to interling, codeshare and wetlease collaboration. There is a good reason for this, as this is the only way to ensure that safety standards are met. Mutual auditing is significantly simplified by the presence of the IOSA.

Skyup Airlines was an up-and-coming low-cost airline before the Russian army's military attack on Ukraine. There were always problems with the airport authorities and air traffic control in Ukraine, but it was always about money and not about safety-related aspects. The carrier was known for not paying every charge notice without comment, but for defending itself if you felt you were being treated unfairly. As is almost usual in the aviation industry: one or two backlogs were accumulated “purely by chance”.

In contrast to competitors such as Ukraine International Airlines or Bees Airlines, Skyup Airlines was able to benefit from lessors demanding that the aircraft be taken out of the country. Skyup management immediately began looking for ACMI and wet lease contracts. As a non-EU carrier, you would actually not have been allowed to fly within the European Union for other airlines, but special permits were generously granted. The aviation company was not only able to stay in the air, but now also has an EU branch, Skyup MT, which is based in Malta. The sister company Join Up is active in the Baltics, among other countries, and also uses the flight services of Skyup and Skyup MT.

It is clear to the decision-makers of the Ukrainian group that there is great potential in the ACMI and wet lease business as well as in the charter sector in the EU that has not yet been fully exploited. Of all things, one could potentially benefit from the problems surrounding the Boeing 737 Max series and the Pratt & Whitney engines, which affect the Airbus A320neo family, for example, because one or the other provider could need wet lease services at short notice. The IOSA safety audit enables Skyup to also fly for the major network carriers, because - as already mentioned - this is the minimum requirement for cooperation with companies such as Lufthansa or Air France-KLM.

“SkyUp Airlines is gradually expanding its position in the global transportation market through ACMI agreements. IOSA registration is an important milestone for us and sends a positive message to potential partners. We want to show that working with us is safe, reliable and profitable,” says Dmytro Sieroukhov, CEO of SkyUp. “Last year, according to the trade magazine ch-aviation, SkyUp Airlines was one of the top 20 airlines in Europe that have concluded the most ACMI contracts. This year we want to reach new heights and are determined, open to partnerships and not satisfied with what we have achieved.”