Frontex plans charter flights for Ukraine returnees

The European border protection agency Frontex has advertised charter flights for Ukrainians who want to return to their homeland. Poland had called for help. The need is great, because a surprising number do not want to stay in the EU.

The European border protection agency Frontex organizes charter flights for the voluntary return of people who have fled Ukraine. Because of the Ukraine war, there is a wave of refugees and a massive migration storm towards the EU. However, neither Frontex nor the member states could have foreseen a scenario "that a large number of third-country nationals would want to voluntarily return to Ukraine after entering the EU ," according to a tender for the purchase of charter flights.

So far, one member state has already urgently requested assistance with the return journey. More would probably follow. The call for help came from Poland, a Frontex spokesman said on request.

Frontex initially does not provide any information about the scope of the planned charter flights. The budget is estimated in the tender at three million euros. Poland is named as the place of departure. According to the advertisement, there is an extremely short preparation time of no more than 72 hours. The contract for organizing the flights went to the large Norwegian charter flight broker AS Aircontact from Oslo.

Frontex acknowledges the special phenomenon of "humanitarian voluntary return" to Ukraine that needs to be organized. The main task of the agency is otherwise the protection of the EU's external borders against illegal entry. Frontex has already chartered aircraft through framework agreements, but in order to deport illegal immigrants back to their home countries, i.e. no voluntary return journey.

Source: Welt