Boryspil Airport in Ukraine to receive technical assistance from Korean agency KOICA
Between 2025 and 2028, Boryspil International Airport will receive technical assistance from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), including the supply of information system equipment for AODB (Airport Operational Database) and AOC (Airport Operations Center).
"From 2025 to 2028, KOICA will implement the international technical assistance project titled 'Modernizing Boryspil Airport Operations for Safe, Secure, and Efficient Air Transport,' registry number 2024-00124 dated January 10, 2025. The project is funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea and aims to improve passenger service conditions at the airport and enhance civil aviation navigation safety by modernizing the operations and equipment of the Boryspil State Enterprise," reads the draft of the "Strategy for the Development of Civil Aviation and Use of Ukrainian Airspace Until 2030," along with its operational implementation plan for 2025–2027.
KOICA's website has published a tender announcement for support of the project at Boryspil Airport. Among those invited to participate are experts tasked with selecting local suppliers for AODB (central airport information system) and AOC (physical or virtual operations control center) equipment. The total tender amount is $1.1 million (KRW 1.59 billion). Experts will be involved from the signing of the contract through 2028.
The civil aviation development strategy also notes that support is expected from partner-country airports, including the donation of vehicles and technical equipment to designated Ukrainian airports.
In 2021, Ukrainian airports increased passenger traffic by 87.2% compared to 2020, reaching 16.2 million passengers – about a third of the 2019 pre-COVID level. Boryspil Airport handled 65% of passenger traffic. Six airports – Boryspil, Zhuliany, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhia – accounted for 98% of all passenger air traffic in Ukraine. Cargo and mail volumes at airports in 2021 rose by 21.1% to 63,200 tonnes. Boryspil handled 80% of all cargo entering or leaving Ukraine by air.
Throughout 2021, 16 Ukrainian airlines operated passenger flights. Four of them – Ukraine International Airlines, SkyUp, Azur Air, and Windrose – accounted for nearly 93% of the total industry volume. Biz Airline, which began operations in 2021, ranked fifth.
Regular flights to Ukrainian airports were operated by 29 foreign airlines from 34 countries. In 2021, international regular passenger services by foreign carriers totaled 6.09 million passengers, or 70% of all regular international passenger traffic to and from Ukraine.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion, numerous aviation infrastructure facilities were damaged or destroyed. Ukrainian airspace remains closed to civilian flights, rendering airline, airport, and air navigation service operations impossible. As a result, 75% of aviation personnel have been placed on furlough.
At the time Ukraine closed its airspace to civilian aviation, there were 132 aircraft used for passenger transport. As of today, that number stands at 113. Currently, 49.22% of the aircraft fleet is located within Ukraine, while 50.78% remains abroad. As of the end of 2024, Ukraine's State Register of Civil Aircraft included more than 150 aircraft manufactured in the Soviet Union or CIS countries, whose producers are now under sanctions, with no viable alternatives available for parts or maintenance.