The management of the Latvian national airline airBaltic in Kyiv held a meeting with Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Serhiy Derkach, at which they confirmed their intentions to become the first airline to return to Ukraine when it is safe.

"Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Serhiy Derkach held a meeting with the management of airBaltic, who are visiting Ukraine. Among them are Thomas Ramdahl, First Vice President of airBaltic, and Mantas Vrubliauskas, Vice President for Network Development. The meeting was also attended by Ambassador of Latvia to Ukraine Ilgvars Klava," the press service of the ministry reported on Facebook on Wednesday.

The main topic of the talks is the current state of Ukrainian civil aviation, the possibilities of supporting and training Ukrainian specialists, and the analysis of the risk assessment (a document to minimize risks for the partial opening of airspace), the report says.

At the meeting, Derkach said that the State Aviation Administration, together with the Ministry of Development, Ukraerorukh and the military, prepared a risk assessment at the end of last year. This is a document that identifies key threats during the partial opening of airspace and measures necessary to minimize them.

airBaltic is ready to reintegrate Kyiv and Lviv into its route network as soon as the airspace is opened and all necessary confirmations are received. It also plans to expand connections beyond Riga, connecting Kyiv with other Baltic capitals - Tallinn and Vilnius, the airline said following the meeting in Kyiv.

"We have consistently stated our plans for airBaltic to be the first airline to return to Ukraine when it is safe to do so, and we stand by this commitment. The safety of our employees, passengers and operations will always be our highest priority, and following our second personal visit to Kyiv, preparations for our return are in full swing. We look forward to resuming vital air services and contributing to the recovery of Ukrainian aviation," airBaltic President and CEO Martin Gauss said following the visit.