Page 81 - UKRRptSept21

By comparison, during the first half of 2019, only 2% of UIA passengers flew charter. UIA carried out 2,039 regularly scheduled flights during the first half of this year – an 85% drop compared to H1 2019.
With international air travel repeatedly disrupted by lockdowns, UIA says it has refunded $44 million to ticket holders since April 2020. Air cargo during the first half of this year totaled only 1,937 tons, 82% less than in the first half 2019.
The Supervisory Board of Ukrainian Railways decided to accept the resignation of acting CEO Ivan Yuryk and to recommend the Cabinet to appoint as the new acting CEO Oleksandr Kamyshin, advisor to the Infrastructure Minister, the company’s press service reported on August 9.
Yuryk will remain as executive board member responsible for finances temporarily. Kamyshin is recommended to be appointed till end-2021, but no later than until a new CEO is elected.
On July 30, Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (RNBO) decided to “take extraordinary actions to stabilize the activity” of Ukrainian Railways and appoint a new acting top manager for the company. According to the RNBO’s conclusions, the “critical situation” in the company may “de-stabilize the operation of critical infrastructure of the railway industry and create a real threat to the vital interests of Ukraine.”
Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov wrote on August 9 that he “supports the initiative” of Ukrainian Railways’ supervisory board. He also assured that the decision has been supported by representatives of G7 countries, EBRD, EIB and the World Bank.
Kubrakov stated that an anti-crisis staff would be created at the ministry “to control the decisions vital for Ukrainian Railways,” while Kamyshin “should become an anti-crisis manager.” The minister listed four primary tasks for the immediate future:
1) raise freight transportation rates to “market” levels,
2) secure the purchase of electricity by the company directly from the nuclear power plants’ operator,
3) attracting international investors to the Ukrainian market, 4) purchase new trains and locomotives.
“Low transportation rates for certain cargo types is indeed a problem for Ukrainian Railways, so resolving this issue would be great progress (last month, the Infrastructure Ministry has already announced a possible increase of the rates). The key problem is that such rate increases would affect large businessmen (controlling iron ore, coal and fertilizer producers) who have a lot of lobbying power in Ukraine. With such ‘anti-crisis staff’ and special attention from the minister and even RNBO (read, Zelenskiy), it could be easier to overcome the lobby. From this standpoint, the development is positive for the
81 UKRAINE Country Report September 2021 www.intellinews.com