After the national soccer team of Ukraine lost to England on Wembley, our compatriots, who had arrived to see the match, almost came a cropper in a big way last Wednesday. Ukrainian Airlines planes, their carriers, were grounded at a London airport for non- payment of debts. British civil aviation authorities, on the request of the Eurocontrol navigational organization which ensures safety of flights over the European continent, impounded the planes on Tuesday, immediately after the arrival of the Ukrainian delegation, because the Ukrainian air company had run up an estimated $2-3-million debt to Eurocontrol. Eurocontrol’s British spokesman, Richard Wright, told AP they were forced to resort to impoundment (a very rare case), for the Ukrainian company had been ignoring the requests to pay the debts. Eurocontrol had repeatedly reminded Ukrainian Airlines about this in its letters, but Kyiv showed no reaction. So this organization from Foggy Albion came across a nice opportunity to raise real hell.
Having learned about the trouble with their Ukrainian counterparts, the English Football Association decided to help them. Association spokesman Steve Double said the Ukrainian national team had been offered a chartered flight. All kinds of diplomats — from the Embassy of Ukraine in Great Britain and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, — as well as Ukrainian Airlines management, hastened to come to their compatriots’ rescue.
Accordingly, one of the airliners — Yak-42 — was set free as early as Wednesday. The other one — Tu-134, — according to the information we had when this article was going to press, will be detained until the debts have been paid. It was decided to transport the Ukrainian citizens by International Airlines of Ukraine: first the players left London at twelve o’clock on June 1 and then the group of journalists on board the freed Yak-42 at three.
Acting marketing and managing director of Ukrainian Airlines, Vadym Zhoklo, told The Day a meeting was to be held on June 6 to discuss the payment of debts, with the air company being unable to pay immediately and in one go the amount they owe. Besides, Mr. Zhoglo added, it should be specified whether Ukrainian Airlines is really responsible for all these debts because “...it is highly probable that airplanes of other organizations flew using the call signs of our company.”
Meanwhile, information has come from some unofficial but well-informed sources that one of the planes grounded in London did not belong to Ukrainian Airlines, although it flew to the Foggy Albion, “bearing the trademark” of this company. Yet, Mr. Zhoglo categorically denies this version.
What is obvious is that the virus of the unprotectedness of Ukrainian ships, also arrested almost every month in various parts of the world for debts, has also passed over to air companies.
Why did this scandal become possible?
“The long-delayed appointment of the Ukraviatsia (Ukrainian Aviation Authority — Ed. ) manager may also be one of the causes of the incident at London airport,” Volodymyr Demchenko, chief of staff of the flight unit at Zhuliany airport, told The Day’s Vitaly KNIAZHANSKY. “Only a boss can order people around and bear responsibility for slip-ups. But when there is no manager, there is no responsibility, including that for debts, for the manager also manages money — it is in his line. The more so on a level like this. An unmanaged aviation department is nonsense. Even today, our airplanes are in the same situation here in Kyiv. As soon as one delays payment, other organizations immediately lay their hands on a flight and hold up planes. No one knows what this Ukraviatsia is up to. We’ve got the state, but is there any good? The passenger should not suffer if he bought a ticket.”
