Actually, SkyUp wanted to carry out the first flight in December 2022 with the newly founded Malta offshoot. One or two charter flights had already been announced for the winter of 2022/23. Nothing will come of it - at least for the time being, because it takes longer than expected to obtain the AOC and operating license.

A few months ago it was announced that with SkyUp MT an EU branch of the Ukrainian low-cost airline will be launched. Quite big plans even include long-haul flights, were presented. In the 2023 summer timetable, you want to be involved on a large scale both as a low-cost airline on your own account and as a charter airline in the EU area.

In any case, it was assumed that the first flight would be carried out in December 2022. Initially, the intention was to concentrate on charter and ACMI flights, before starting on their own account at the beginning of the summer flight schedule period. However, the project has stalled because there is no “AOC to Go” in Malta either.

The issuing of the necessary certificates can no longer take place this year, is to be heard from circles of the Maltese civil aviation authority. Some additional documents have been requested from SkyUp MT. In other words, the start-up needs to improve and answer some of the officials' questions. This bureaucratic process means that the possible approval will be delayed by a few weeks.

AOC will be granted in the first quarter of 2023 at the earliest

It is currently assumed that SkyUp MT, provided that all documents are submitted on time and all other parameters are positively checked, can only be issued with the AOC and operating license in the course of the first quarter of 2023. This is already having practical effects, as the start of ticket sales announced for December 2022 has been postponed indefinitely.

The Ukrainian parent company is currently mainly on the road for the group's own tour operator Join Up. Charter flights are operated from Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn and Warsaw. Most of these lead towards Egypt. The tour operator should also play an important role in the SkyUp MT project, because he should ensure the necessary basic capacity utilization in the charter area.