Poltava Airport was granted international status at the end of 2017, yet it handled its first flight only on 29 July 2018, once repair works were finished. The opening had originally been planned for May, with a flight carrying Ukrainian holidaymakers to Antalya. The Poltava Regional State Administration (ODA), however, was sceptical about the tour operators' plans and took a realistic view of how much repair work the airport needed before it could operate properly.
The restoration and upgrade programme adopted at the start of the year runs for four years, so only part of the plan has been completed so far. What has been done is enough for the airport to operate normally, and European and American travellers who have already flown through Poltava Airport have noticed the difference.
The airport's staffing has not yet been finalised. The only known plans are to bring in border guards from Kharkiv and Dnipro, while customs officers will be recruited locally.
Repairs to the runway, aprons and passenger terminal are now complete. According to Minister Volodymyr Omelian, this is only part of what the Cabinet of Ministers has planned. Because Poltava Airport now has international status, the authorities are ready to do everything they can to develop it and raise its profile. Contracts have already been signed to continue the repair and modernisation of the airport so that it can run at full capacity and compete at a European level. The regional state administration is paying close attention to the city's transport infrastructure and is supporting companies that have expressed an interest in working with Poltava Airport.
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