We’ve seen airlines around the world operate ”flights to nowhere” as a way to both generate revenue and engage those who want to travel but can’t due to travel restrictions. Well, here’s an especially interesting flight to nowhere concept.
Continue reading: Ukraine International Airlines’ Unusual Flights To Nowhere
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Maybe the Chernobyl flight is something of a sight seeing tourist looksee operation. I remember Chernobyl (barely) and I've seen pictures and videos of the abandoned residential areas. It is interesting if anything for preserved Soviet era architecture. Supposedly the area is still "hot" but flora and animals have thrived there without a whole lot of issues. For a lot of older people in the inner former Soviet bloc I can imagine nostalgia tours would be popular. When my father was based in Berlin in the early 70s for NATO it was not uncommon for veterans to visit the East before and after the fall of the Wall on such tours. Today E Berlin has mostly modernized but you can still tell.
This will be a super-spreader event. Getting up on the flight deck (especially the flight deck of an Embraer 195, which is a very small jet) with dozens of others shuffling through the same space puts you in a very cramped place (like squeezing into an old telephone booth) with many others, after a dozen people shuttle through there, the viral load in that space is going to be very high. It's just a very, very small space, with effectively zero ventilation. Even with masks on (I wonder just how good is mask discipline in Ukraine?) this will surely result in spreading the pandemic.
While this sounds cute and fun, people will die because of this. Spectacularly stupid.
I agree with Craig. Pripyat and Chernobyl tourism is actually pretty popular for international visitors to Ukraine - probably even more so in the wake of the miniseries.
Thank god they're using an Embraer for the sightseeing flights. So many of these flights are operated by widebodies. I don't really understand the logic of a sightseeing flight when half the seats don't even have windows...
This is COOL! Highly unlikely I'll get to do it but thanks for the heads up Lucky.
Who doesn't love a good fly by of Chernobyl? Too bad it's not on the water, Cruise companies would be eyeing it now as a stop over in their new "Luxury Destinations of Disaster."
@Stuart - boy do I have good news for you! Chernobyl is on the water, in fact the entire plant is right on the banks of the Pripyat River
Guys
I want you to know They have nothing else than a tourist industry to Chernobyl Half population is on quarantine with no job NO social fare to those who are on quarantine While the war is raging they are using the country as bargaining chip Trade with aggressor in bypass of international sanctions Fake steps to assure foreign creditors that reforms are implemented Divide and rule law inside the country And you Westerners are putting a blind eye on what is going on cause for you trade with russia is more important Tell me I made a mistake in my description
@peter. I toured Chernobyl in December of 2019 and met a young woman from Baku, Azerbaijan that was visiting her first foreign country because of the HBO show. There is a fair bit of touring there, for sure.