Ukrainian low-cost carrier SkyUp has opened an airline in the EU with an office in Malta, which will allow it to launch regular flights from Europe. The subsidiary company SkyUp MT received all the necessary certificates and licenses for full operation, which will enable the company to use the advantages of the open sky. The company will focus on leasing aircraft with crews to operate flights of other airlines. SkyUp MT currently has only one 2011 Boeing 737-800 in its fleet, but plans to expand its fleet to Malta by the end of 2023. It is noted that the new aircraft will be purchased under new contracts and not from the SkyUp fleet.
SkyUp managed to evacuate almost all of its aircraft from Ukraine at the beginning of the war, leaving only one Boeing 737-800 with registration UR-SQP at Boryspil airport. The company's pilots attempted to fly to Chisinau on February 24, 2022, but were ordered to return due to the closure of the skies over Ukraine to civilian aircraft. In August 2022, SkyUp announced plans to launch its airline in Europe, starting with flights from the Baltic states, Moldova, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as possible flights from Germany and Austria. The main destinations will be traditional tourist routes including Turkey and Egypt, as well as exotic destinations such as Tanzania.
