Kyiv Airports: Boryspil and Zhuliany

• Boryspil (KBP) is outside the city, about 29 kilometres from central Kyiv.
• Kyiv Sikorsky Airport (IEV), known as Zhuliany, is about eight kilometres from the city centre.
• Civilian use of both locations is suspended because Ukrainian airspace is closed to civilian flights.
• The Ukrainian aviation authority lists the Kyiv flight information regions, Kyiv FIR (UKBV) and Kyiv UIR (UKBU), as closed.
• EASA recommends that civil operators neither enter the affected airspace nor fly to or from airports within it.
• According to the current advisory, entry to and departure from the country are possible only by land.

Boryspil International Airport is located near the city of Boryspil, about 29 kilometres from central Kyiv. Sikorsky Airport, known as Zhuliany, is within the city limits and closer to the centre. The two names therefore refer to different airport locations.

Before the airspace closure, Boryspil was the larger passenger airport, while Sikorsky was the capital’s second passenger airport.

When navigating Kyiv, it is important to know which of the two airport names appears on an older booking, historical timetable or location reference.

In earlier information about air travel and airport arrivals, the booking code identified the location: KBP referred to Boryspil, and IEV to Sikorsky at Zhuliany.

The Ukrainian aviation authority designates the Kyiv flight information regions, Kyiv FIR (UKBV) and Kyiv UIR (UKBU), as closed to civilian flights. EASA includes these regions in its active conflict zone bulletin and recommends that affected operators do not fly there, including making take-offs or landings at airports in the restricted area. Following its latest revision on 24 July 2026, the bulletin is valid until 31 January 2027, unless reviewed earlier.

This means that neither Boryspil nor Zhuliany is a civilian alternative to the other.

The travel advisory also notes that air travel is closed nationwide and that entry to and departure from the country are possible by land. Information about Ukraine and personal travel documents should therefore be considered in the context of current travel conditions.

With civilian airspace closed, travel to and from Kyiv takes place by land. The route depends on which border crossings are open and which transport options are available. Within the city, transfers depend on the destination address and mode of transport; transfers and local transport refer to journeys within the urban transport network.

The two airport locations can be distinguished using offline maps by whether they are outside or within the city limits. For expenses on the go, it is useful to combine different payment options; cards and cash are different forms of payment.

When travelling overland, train journeys can cover part of the route. A travel checklist can help you plan travel times and connections.

When travelling to Kyiv, the choice of accommodation depends on which neighbourhoods are accessible and what journeys are planned. For accommodation in Kyiv, the location’s accessibility matters. When planning a holiday, the length of your stay should also be taken into account.

For earlier flights to Kyiv, KBP referred to Boryspil and IEV to Sikorsky Airport.

Can Zhuliany serve as an alternative airport to Boryspil?

No. Both locations are in the closed civilian airspace of Kyiv FIR/UKBV. The EASA recommendation explicitly covers take-offs and landings at airports within the affected area.

What do the codes KBP and IEV mean?

KBP refers to Boryspil Airport, and IEV to Kyiv Sikorsky Airport at Zhuliany. The codes distinguish the two locations on flight tickets and in historical airport information.

Are there currently civilian flights from airports in other regions of Ukraine?

In addition to Kyiv, EASA lists the flight information regions of Lviv, Dnipro, Simferopol and Odesa in its bulletin, which is valid until 31 January 2027, and recommends that civilian air traffic avoid these regions, including their airports.