Raúl Medina, the new Director General of EUROCONTROL, has confirmed the Agency’s full commitment to supporting its Member State, Ukraine in a visit to the capital Kyiv where he met the Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine, Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, Mr Oleksandr Kubrakov as well as a number of other senior figures in the Ukrainian aviation sector.
“EUROCONTROL, in a close collaboration with the European Commission, has established the European ATM Voluntary Solidarity Fund which aims to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian aviation sector to ensure operational readiness when air traffic recovers. I was honoured to meet with Minister Kubrakov to express our solidarity in person and explain to him how this fund which was set up by the 41 EUROCONTROL Member States will be able to benefit Ukraine in the future.”
During the visit, Mr Medina also met with Mr Oleksandr Bilchuk, the Chairman of the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine (SAAU), Mr Andriy Yarmak, CEO of the Ukrainian Air Navigation Service Provider (UkSATSE), and Mr Yuriy Kysil, the Chairman of the Transportation Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament. These meetings were an opportunity to explore in more technical detail how to enhance collaboration between Ukraine and the European aviation community as well as with EUROCONTROL.
Mr Medina also visited the Antonov aerodrome Hostomel which was devastated during the Russian aggression. Mr Yevhen Havrylov, the Acting Director General of Antonov, met with Mr Medina at the site of the destruction of the Antonov 225 Mriya aircraft which occurred during the first days of the Russian aggression.
Raúl Medina added:
“It was very important to me and was indeed a commitment that I made last year that my first official visit as DG of EUROCONTROL would be to Ukraine. Having seen with my own eyes the devastation that this brutal invasion has caused, I am even more committed to standing firm with our Member State, Ukraine and ensuring all necessary tools and funding are in place to support Ukrainian aviation.”
During his visit, Mr Medina also expressed the Agency’s condolences to the family and loved ones of the victims of the helicopter crash on 18 January 2023.
