UIA hopes passenger transportation to grow by 20-25% in 2017

Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA, Kyiv), the largest airline in the country, hopes to increase transportation by 20-25% compared to 2016, UIA President Yuriy Miroshnykov has said.

"We do not have extraordinary plans for 2017. The plans we shaped would be noticeable in 2018. 2017 is simple work. This is around 20-24% growth in passenger transportation. This is the expansion of UIA fleet with five Boeing 737-800 planes and removal of some planes," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

According to the State Aviation Service, in 2016 UIA increased passenger transportation by 24.9%. If earlier UIA said that that in 2015 it carried 4.8 million passengers, the figure for 2016 is almost the same as the target of 6 million for this year.

Taking into account the Miroshnykov's words, in 2017 UIA could carry 7.2-7.5 million people.

The UIA president also said that the airline would see profit in 2016. He said he is not ready to disclose it before the issue of the audited report.

Earlier UIA said that in 2017 it seeks to carry 7 million passengers.