Vulkan Air (Ukraine) (VKA, Kyiv Igor Sikorsky) has applied to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for a foreign air carrier permit (FACP) in the United States with a plan to launch charter cargo operations.
The airline asks for an expedited approval as it intends to launch operations in January 2018. Due to the charter nature of its business, Vulkan Air is not able to name any specific destinations but has revealed it targets eight flights monthly using An-26 capacity.
Vulkan Air sees market potential in cargo services for the oil and gas sector, as well as the automotive industry with regard to transporting parts between the US and Mexico or Europe.
According to the DOT filing, Vulkan Air is a fully privately-held airline headquartered in Kiev established this year and focused on cargo charters with a fleet of three dry-leased An-26s. Two of the aircraft will be leased from a Seychelles-registered subsidiary of Vulkan Air while the third is owned by Estonian company Aegna Holdings.
The airline is owned by Vadim Herasymov and managed by Dmytro Sushko.
Vulkan Air has not yet commenced domestic services and is expecting a European EASA Third Country Operator approval by year-end, which would allow it to launch flights between Ukraine and the EU. It also plans to operate in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America and enter into contracts with logistics companies such as DHL International, Panalpina World Transport and Schenker.
