AIR CARG O WEEK


EUROPEAN CARGO


UKRAINE: WAR DISRUPTIONS, GLOBAL RIPPLES AND THE ROAD TO RECOVERY


ON THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE 2022 RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE, WE ASKED OUR UKRAINIAN-BORN JOURNALIST ANASTASIYA SIMSEK TO TAKE A PERSONAL LOOK AT AIR CARGO IN HER COUNTRY IN THE FACE OF ARMED HOSTILITIES.


“Indeed, those who have wings don`t need the ground. If there is no land, there will be a sky. If there is no field, there will be freedom. If there is no love, there will be clouds. That might be about the life of a bird… But what about people? How do they live? They live on the ground, not able to fly. But they have wings. They do have wings!” Lina Kostenko


W 4


ords by Lina Kostenko hold deep meaning for Ukrainians today. A dream (In Ukrainian - ‘mriya’) is not just a word; it is the driving force that propels humanity forward, even in the darkest times. The destruction of the legendary Antonov An-225 Mriya


in the early days of the full-scale invasion became a symbol not only of devastation but of the unwavering Ukrainian spirit. Despite the war, Ukrainian aviation continues to exist and


evolve. The air cargo sector, which before 2022 was a powerful global player, faced unprecedented challenges - destroyed airports, loss of aircraft, and the inability to operate in Ukrainian airspace. However, even in these extreme conditions, Antonov Airlines, the largest operator of heavy cargo transportation, continues its mission by operating out of a temporary base in Germany.


From Soviet-Era giants to a key cargo niche Ukraine’s prominence in cargo aviation traces back to the Soviet era, when the Antonov Design Bureau, now Antonov Company, in Kyiv developed the world’s largest cargo airplanes. The An-124 “Ruslan” heavy freighter first flew in 1982 and became a workhorse for oversized cargo, while the An-225 “Mriya” – the record-breaking six-engine behemoth built in 1988 – remains the heaviest aircraft ever constructed.


After independence, Ukraine retained a portion of this fleet and


established Antonov Airlines in the 1990s to commercialise these giants for global logistics needs. Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Airlines, which operates similar Antonov-built aircraft, dominated the niche market for transporting ultra-heavy and outsized cargo such as industrial equipment, aerospace components, and relief supplies. By 2022, Antonov Airlines fielded seven An-124 Ruslans and the unique An- 225 Mriya for cargo operations, making it the only carrier capable of lifting loads unattainable for standard freighters. Major international programmes, including missions for NSPA, relied on Antonov’s fleet for moving military and humanitarian cargo. In fact, about 50% of Antonov’s flights were for NATO customers


under SALIS (Strategic Airlift International Solution), with the other half serving commercial clients worldwide Ukraine’s geographic position and industrial capacity also supported a broader airfreight sector. Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport, the country’s largest hub, handled a record 45,675 tonnes of cargo in 2021, thanks to rising e-commerce and recovery from the COVID-19 slump. International logistics firms like DHL established facilities near


Boryspil, and Ukrainian carriers, mostly in passenger operations, carried freight in belly holds on global routes. Additionally, new entrants were poised to expand the market – for example, private parcel giant Nova Poshta launched its own cargo airline Supernova


Airlines during the war, completing its first Boeing 737F charter flights via European airports in 2024. This momentum underscored the long-term potential of Ukraine’s air cargo industry – a potential abruptly derailed by the Russian invasion in February 2022.


War’s toll on infrastructure and fleet The Russian invasion delivered a devastating blow to Ukraine’s aviation infrastructure, especially at the Antonov-2 Hostomel Airport near Kyiv – Antonov’s home airfield and testing ground. In the battle for Hostomel


in late February 2022, Russian


forces inflicted massive damage on the Antonov airport facilities and fleet. “With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian


Federation caused significant damage to the infrastructure of the home airport of Antonov in the city of Hostomel. The unique aircraft An-22, An-225, An-124 were significantly damaged. The airline’s head office was destroyed. The An-28, An-74, An-26 were completely destroyed,” recounts Dmytro Prosvirin, head of Antonov’s Commercial Department. The company’s headquarters at the airport was also demolished.


These losses were a heavy blow – Antonov Airlines’ fleet shrank from eight large cargo jets to five after the battle. Before the war, as noted, Antonov had operated seven Ruslans and the Mriya; by mid-2022 only five An-124s remained operational, eliminating one- third of its cargo capacity. Beyond Antonov’s own fleet, the war effectively shut down all


commercial aviation in Ukraine. As missiles struck airports and airspace was closed for safety, Boryspil and other airports ceased operations on February 24 2022. No scheduled or charter cargo flights could originate from or land in Ukraine due to the high security risk. This meant that all airfreight to and from Ukraine had to be rerouted via neighbouring countries. For example, Poland’s Rzeszów-Jasionka airport became a critical logistics gateway for Ukraine, handling as much as “90% of military and humanitarian aid” destined for Ukraine by air. Cargo destined for Ukrainian businesses or relief efforts now


typically flies into hubs like Rzeszów, Warsaw or Budapest and is then trucked across the border. This workaround keeps essential goods flowing, but at the cost of longer transit times and complex intermodal transfers. The destruction of the An-225 Mriya – a global aviation icon –


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