Third Routes CIS Forum Underway in Ukraine

The third edition of Routes CIS forum is taking place in Donetsk, Ukraine from 21-23 July, attended by some 250 senior industry figures and air service decision makers from across the CIS region.

Routes CIS is a route development forum for the entire CIS region and holds extra importance this year, with negotiations on the European Union-Ukraine open skies agreement in the final stage.

Ukraine's population of over 45 million and growing economy holds substantial market opportunity, but for many airlines there have been restrictions to accessing these prospects which it is believed should soon become available.

“As the negotiations on the EU-Ukraine Joint Aviation Area are in the final stages there has been no better time to attend Routes CIS and visit Ukraine. Once confirmed the Joint Aviation Area will open up a massive new target market of almost 50 million people as the population of Ukraine enters the EU marketplace," said Nigel Mayes, VP Commercial-Routes at UBM Live.

More than 30 airlines registered their attendance at this year's Routes CIS, including the top four major Russian carriers Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Rossiya and Transaero Airlines, along with VIM Airlines, JSC RusLine, Ukraine International Airlines, Wizz Air Ukraine and Etihad Airways.

Also attending the event are senior representatives of the Ukrainian aviation industry including Volodymyr Kozak, Minister of Infrastructure; Konstantin Yefimenko, First Deputy of Minister of Infrastructure; Dmytro Dimidovich, Deputy of Minister of Infrastructure; Anatoliy Kolesnik, Head of Civil Aviation; and Oleksandr Grechko, First Deputy Head of Civil Aviation.