36 employees of Ukrainian SkyUp Airlines stuck in Sudan after hostilities outbreak 

SkyUp reported the information.

The airline noted that 36 employees and 2 aircraft of the company are currently in the African country of Sudan. They are in touch with people and are "in relatively safe locations.”

"Currently, it is known about the activation of Emergency Locator Transmitter (ЕLT) on one of the two our planes, which are located at the airport of the city of Khartoum. As of now, it is impossible to determine the possible damage to the aircraft," SkyUp informed.

The airline reminds that Ukrainian aircraft are in the country where hostilities began on April 15 under an ACMI contract with Sun Air. Since the beginning of 2023, they have operated flights to Cairo (Egypt), Riyadh, and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).

"Our main task now is to organize safe conditions for our employees and help them leave the country as soon as possible. We work on this together with the Embassy of Ukraine in Egypt, the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Sudan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and other public institutions. We will inform you when the situation is resolved," the company emphasized.

According to Avianews, one of the two Ukrainian planes caught fire at the Khartoum airport.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleh Nikolenko, later reported that the Ukrainian aviators were being transported away from the airfield.

"During the escalation of the situation, there were members of the Ukrainian aviation crew at Khartoum International Airport. We managed to take this group of people out," Hromadske quoted him as saying. 

He added that the members of the Ukrainian crew are now in a safe location, they are being taken care of by the Ukrainian Honorary Consul in Sudan.

According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Ukraine in Egypt, which is responsible for Sudan, keep the safety of Ukrainian citizens in Sudan "under special control."

• On Saturday, April 15, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the army surrounded one of the bases of the country's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), after which shooting broke out in the city. Later, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued recommendations to Ukrainians in connection with the security situation in Sudan.