On June 14, 2018 administrative buildings and terminals of the "Kyiv" International Airport  named after I. Sikorskyi were blocked by the employees of the NABU, armed with automatic weapons. From 10:00 of June 14 till 5:00 of June 15, during 19 hours, the "Kyiv" International Airport Communal Enterprise and the "Master-Avia" Company administrations, including department heads and key employees, were held in their offices without any means of communication and opportunities to coordinate the airport. Thus, the work of both the Communal Enterprise and the "Master-Avia" Private Company, engaged in the development and servicing of the airport, was blocked. 

The consequence of the actions of the NABU was the inability to prevent an accident that occurred with the plane of the "BRAVO" Air Company, which was carrying out the Antalya-Kyiv flight. When landing during a severe thunderstorm, the plane with 169 passengers on board rolled out beyond the runway. The situation was very serious: considering that there were about 4 tons of aviation fuel on board of the aircraft, there was a threat to the life and health of passengers. At that time, the airport management, in fact held hostage by the enforcers, had no opportunity to take appropriate measures due to the weather conditions. Only thanks to the well-coordinated work of the airport rescue services the situation was successfully controlled and, as a result, no one was injured in the incident. Such an accident happened for the first time in 94 years of the operation of the airport.

Until now, the airport management has found it impossible to comment on this situation due to the fact that the special commission did not finish the investigation of the incident.  Today, the decision has been made to disclose the information, as the commission's conclusions are not yet ready, and the pressure on the airport is continuing, and it is possible that such a situation with the NABU will repeat. 

The "Kyiv" Airport team shall issue a warning that, in the case of repeated blocking of operation of the facility by security forces, in order to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, the maintenance of flights will be suspended. The security of passengers remains the priority for the enterprise. 

Currently, the aerodrome and take-off strip are on the balance sheet of the "Kyiv" International Airport. The "Master-Avia" Company owns terminals and the apron. The Company does not have information in whose interests the enforcement operation was organized, but states that such actions negatively affect the safety of the airport and the investment attractiveness of Ukraine. We emphasize that there are no and there have not been any reasons for applying force - activity of the enterprise is open and transparent, management is always ready for constructive cooperation with the supervisory authorities and conducting procedures provided for by law.

The "Kyiv" International Airport operates in strict accordance with international and Ukrainian legislation and at the moment is one of the largest taxpayers among the communal enterprises of the capital. The "Master-Avia" Company has invested more than $ 50 million in the creation of the new airport infrastructure and to date sends all available resources to repay the loan and the development of the only international airport located directly in Kyiv.

Reference Information:

In 2010, within the framework of the governmental program for the development of the Ukrainian aviation infrastructure, an investment competition was held, the winner of which was the "Master-Avia" LLC. The Сompany concluded a lease agreement for the airport's property for 49 years. The second bidder, a Russia-based company, unsuccessfully challenged the results of the contest in court in all instances. 

Today, the "Kyiv" International Airport, operated by the "Master-Avia" Company, cooperates with more than 40 airlines, performing flights to 140 cities in 48 countries. Monthly about 2,500 flights are made, and nearly 2 million passengers are served annually. Investments in the airport amounted to more than $ 50 million. Over 10 thousand jobs were created. The "Kyiv" Airport is the second largest taxpayer among the capital communal enterprises.