SkyUp Airlines brings in a seventh Boeing 737

The newly delivered aircraft is equipped with split scimitar winglets (SkyUp)

The fleet of Ukraine’s youthful SkyUp Airlines has been reinforced with the delivery of a seventh narrow-body aircraft: a Boeing 737-800 (MSN 30292), which was produced in 2004, and which has arrived on operational lease from Aviation Capital Group.

The aircraft, configured with 189 seats in full economy class layout, is powered by CFM International’s CFM56-7B26 engines, and comes equipped with split scimitar winglets.

Painted in the Ukraine carrier’s livery, and sporting the Ukrainian registration number UR-SQH, it arrived at the airline’s new Kyiv Boryspil base airport on April 20. The aircraft’s previous operators were the now defunct Danish low-cost airline Sterling Airlines and the Canadian leisure carrier Sunwing Airlines.

It is the second aircraft received by the hybrid carrier this month. On April 9, SkyUp welcomed a B737-700 dressed in the livery of the Shakhtar football club. As a result, the fleet of the fast-growing airline now consists of seven aircraft: five B737-800s and two B737-700s.

According to the start-up airline’s management, its fleet is to be extended even further with the arrival of another B737-800, which will be a dedicated standby aircraft. The 1999-vintage model will provide a back up for the main fleet, and will also perform ad-hoc charters for corporate clients. By the end of this year, the airline plans to operate 10 aircraft.

SkyUp Airlines started its operations only a year ago. The founders of the new airline are Yuri and Tatiana Alba, the owners of Join Up! which is one of Ukraine’s largest tour operators.