Ukraine International Airlines starts New York flights with Boeing 737

Ukraine International Airlines is resuming flights from Kiev to New York after a forced break for months due to the corona virus. But this time with a Boeing 737!

Due to the rampant corona pandemic, the Ukrainian airline had to cancel flights to New York from the flight schedule. After a long break, the airline would now like to operate the flights again from December 9th – but with a stopover. In this article you will find out why and where the airline makes a stopover.

Narrow-body aircraft instead of long-haul aircraft

From December 9th, Ukraine International Airlines would like to operate again on the route between Kiev and New York. The airline would like to offer the flights twice a week. Due to the expected low demand for tickets, the airline is forced to make some changes on this route, which the passengers in particular will feel.

As routesonline.com reported, the airline is not relying on long-haul aircraft on its flights as usual, such as the Boeing 767 or 777. These types of aircraft were used on the around ten-hour direct flight before the corona pandemic. Unlike before, Ukraine International Airlines will in future rely on the Boeing 737-900ER, a narrow-body aircraft that is increasingly used on short and medium-haul routes. Since this type of aircraft only has a range of 5,925 kilometers, the airline cannot operate the flight without a stopover, as the distance between the two cities is around 7,500 kilometers. Keflavik Airport near Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, was chosen as a stopover. Here the machine makes a refueling stop of around an hour. Due to the stopover and the changed flight route, the flight time on the outbound flight is just under 12.5 hours, on the way back a full 11.5 hours. This extends the pure flight time by almost two hours compared to the previous direct flights.

The attractiveness of the flight is decreasing rapidly

In addition to the extended flight time, which is due to the shorter range of the Boeing 737-900ER, there is another significant disadvantage associated with the selected aircraft type. In contrast to the long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 737-900ER does not have a full business class. Business Class passengers can only expect a normal Economy Class seat – but with an empty middle seat. However, the seat pitch is just 80 centimeters, with which the seat pitch can be compared with that of a normal economy class in Europe.

Another aspect reduces the attractiveness of the flight enormously. There is no internet and no entertainment system installed on board the Boeing 737-900ER from Ukraine International Airlines. This is a significant disadvantage, especially for business travelers. A pleasant flight experience definitely looks different.

Conclusion on the resumption of New York flights by Ukraine International Airlines

From an economic point of view, one can understand the step taken by Ukraine International Airlines. If a low occupancy rate is foreseeable, smaller aircraft are used, which is why a stopover in Iceland is now necessary. In addition to a longer journey, the Boeing 737-900ER has blatant disadvantages in Business Class compared to the long-haul aircraft that were used on this route before the pandemic. It remains to be seen whether the airline will regret this step. Perhaps potential passengers are already looking for flight connections with a change in Europe.

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