SkyUp Airlines

SkyUp Airlines is a private Ukrainian airline. It operates on a hybrid model, performing charter flights and regular low-cost flights. The carrier's fleet for May 2021 included nine Boeing 737-800 aircraft and two Boeing 737-700.

After the closure of the airspace of Ukraine in connection with the outbreak of armed conflict in 2022, SkyUp adapted to the new conditions and began to conclude contracts for private transportation, and lease its fleet to other enterprises.

2023: One company plane hit at Sudan airport

According to the public air tracker FlightRadar24, at the time of the start of the fighting in Khartoum on April 15, 2023, there were two boards of the Ukrainian company with tail numbers UR-SQH and UR-SQA.

Judging by the personnel, the UR-SQH liner was injured. When landing, both aircraft used the SNR call sign used by the private Sudanese company Sun Air Sudan. This organization operates domestic and international flights to countries in North Africa and the Middle East. However, the private company has its own fleet, which probably caused the conclusion of an agreement with the Ukrainian SkyUp.

In Ukrainian Telegram channels, as well as on several pages on Instagram, messages were published with concerns that due to the intensification of hostilities, arms supplies from Sudan to Ukraine would be at risk.

The use of third countries to transport military goods for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is standard practice for Western countries. Ukrainian An-12/26 transport aircraft fly to Sudan or transit through it almost on a regular basis. And the official SkyUp website states that the company also carries out cargo transportation, freeing up luggage compartment depending on customer preferences.

The reaction to the incident in the Ukrainian segment of the Internet, along with the regularity of flights to Khartoum, as well as the reputation of Sudanese airports as hubs for smuggling, indirectly indicates that "passenger" liners could arrive in Sudan for a reason, the Rybar channel wrote.

During the special operation, the transport aviation of Ukraine began to perform various tasks in the interests of other countries. The same Motor Sich An-12 in February 2023 carried out the transfer of weapons to Somalia from Bulgaria through Sudan. The legend used by Ukrainian companies about private passenger transportation and transportation of humanitarian goods is often only a convenient cover.