KIEV AIRPORT review : 10 January 2010 by Martin Kay

Customer Rating : 3/5

I have visited 4 times in the last 15 months, and seen some improvements. The infrastructure is being improved. The toilets are not too bad and have likely been improved since earlier comments. The food and drinks is more expensive than outside airport but is typical of all airports and train stations-I have paid 5 euros for beer in Amsterdam and Prague Airport. The departure terminal has recently undergone upgrade and is looking better - they have also installed a glass smoking area just before the passport control exit barriers. My experiences of baggage reclaim support other comments - theres still much work to be done here. On entry also queues can be frustrating and slow. What the airport lacks-Ukraine makes up for in many other ways prices for cigarettes alcohol and other things more than compensate for the airport experience. Where else could you take a bus from the airport to the city centre for around £2.50 ?

KIEV AIRPORT review : 30 December 2009 by E Colbert

Customer Rating : 1/5

This is a semi-Soviet style airport with non-smiling faces and soldiers instead of civil airport security officers. I had a connecting flight here and had to wait in the b terminal for slightly more than 7 hours. There are several things you should know before going through this airport. Don't expect to have your boarding-pass right away since there is rarely someone in the check-in desk and for all your questions you will get the very same answer: "I don't know. You have to wait". No electrical outlets, so don't bring your laptops without full battery. There is a wireless internet service but you cannot use it! The service only works with prepaid cards and they're not sold in the terminal. Business lounge is ok, but don't expect to see smiling faces as staff working here tend to be very rude and unwelcoming. Overall, this airport is slightly better than Sheremetyevo in Moscow, but its standards are far below compared to other international airports.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 5 November 2009 by A Lito

Customer Rating : 2/5

Things have improved in both A and B terminals. It has been expanded but there have been several re-organizations over the years the current one is terrible. Apart the queues at the immigration desk (it is the same in other countries too) with the exception that in Ukraine they use a mixture of ex-soviet and western methods so one can imagine the chaos. I agree that in the arrival/departure entrance there are too many people, and I would suggest for anyone that has valaubles to put them in the hand luggage and make sure that you hold it tight with all the pockets closed. Ukraine is a poor country and still developing and it has a long way to go. Airport charges are lower than others. and you cannot do anything about it. Smile and they will smile back.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 31 August 2009 : by Matthew Fletcher

Customer Rating : 1/5

Visited in August 2009 from London. Expect to be bussed to the terminal in extremely overcrowded conditions. Once arriving grab a couple of the customs declarations forms and join a queue. Don't start filling in the forms first ... you will have plenty of time in the queue! The right-most side was for Ukrainian citizens and was indicated as such by a ceiling sign. I had to queue for 1h 25m however others on the same day were claiming 2 hours and I believe them. I wasnt sure if I needed Ukrainian money for a taxi so used the airport bureau de change which was probably an error as the rate was poor. I then stepped outside looking for an official cab which was a second mistake as I should have retraced my steps and used one of the Taxi desks. I was then hassled by an unofficial cab-driver (who spoke excellent English) while I wandered around cluelessly. Luckily about 100m from the terminal to your right when you exit I found a little wooden cabin with Taxi written on it and they sorted me out immediately for 250 UAH which was written on a receipt for me to give to the driver (although I gave him a tip too). I certainly recommend these guys but Im sure the Taxi desks inside the terminal are fine too. I wouldnt use the unofficial taxis unless you like negotiating a bargain and can speak Russian. I was quoted the same price from Kiev back to the airport so it seems fairly standard and works out to about £20 or $30 and seems fine for the distance. Returning home the experience was better with only a 30 min or so queue at passport control. The duty-free shop inside the departures lounge area was well-stocked and although the prices were in Euros you could in fact get rid of all your Ukrainian money when paying and make up the difference in Euros.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 17 August 2009 : by F Svensson

Customer Rating : 1/5

Ukraine should be ashamed of the capital´s international airport. There are constant thefts from all travellers luggage and despite loads of attention from media, private individuals and the business and diplomatic community, nobody is doing anything about it. I have had four locks on bags broken and nowadays I leave the bags open and carry everything of the slightest value in my hand luggage. Shame also to the airlines who do not act more efficiently to this problem.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 31 July 2009 : by M Neuman

Customer Rating : 1/5

I will try my best to avoid this airport in the future! On arrival (from PRG), I spent 1 hour queuing for the immigration control. On the return, you are only allowed to enter the check-in area once your check-in begins. This, however, means that you are forced to wait in a crowded area with very pushy travelers that do not hesitate to harm you (e. with their luggage) as to jump the queue. Once finally checked-in, I passed security control: however, the employees were not particularly concerned by people setting off the X-ray machines. Moreover, the airport lacks a proper seating area with available seats (at least during peak hours) and should improve the toilets! In general, a horrible experience not providing travelers with any pleasure and comfort.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 24 July 2009 : by S Ketch

Customer Rating : 3/5

Immigration was quick and easy. Crowded luggage pick up, lots of taxi men in the hall - avoid them (the price of a ride to Kiev is approx 15 euro, so dont overpay). Taking into account it was a regional airport before, and is being reconstructed I give Borispol a credit.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 8 June 2009 : by Alex Buenafe

Customer Rating : 1/5

Arrived at Kiev Airport from Vienna. Immigration was a bit cramped, otherwise I was out of there in 15 minutes. The immigration form had two parts, both of which had to be filled in. One the immigration agent, keeps the other stamps and gives back to you (which I discovered was basically your departure form.) Customs was a breeze, but exiting out was a bit of a zoo. A lot of men offering "taxis". If you don't know where you're going, not a good idea. Departure from Kiev for Vienna. The drop off is not curbside, and I had to get out of the car quickly as stopping wasn't allowed. Checking in and getting through immigration was a breeze, but there isn't very much in the departure lounges. Also, they tend to use Euros. Overall it's a bit dated, crowded, and felt unsafe.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 29 May 2009 : by James Grierson

Customer Rating : 2/5

On arrival to Borispol B was greeted in Passport Control by a number of other flights arriving at the same time, consequently passage through took 30 minutes before getting to luggage carousel. On departure the same thing happened (many passengers - few Passport Control officers) and took equally as long. Landside there is an Irish bar and a snack bar, a duty free shop but very few seats. The balancing act is keeping your passage short but ensuring you have adequate time to bypass Passport Control.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 28 October 2008 : by Kev Rymell

Customer Rating : 2/5

Have used terminals A and B on a regular basis. Things are improving but for a country of this size Borispol is a poor introduction to the Ukraine. It will grow over the next few years and hopefully by 2012 it might be adequate for the international traveller. Staff speak little English which is bizarre as the many times I have been there it is often filled with English speaking customers! I have never had a problem with the toilets in terminal B but A is different, too small and not cleaned very often. The bus ride to the planes in winter can be like sardines in an icebox - be warned! Passport control is all about knowing the system, on my first visit it took me over an hour. I then learnt to jump the lines and got it down to 10 minutes, standing in line for anything is not the Ukraine way, pushing to the front is acceptable. To avoid taxi sharks learn a little Russian, and they leave you alone, never had a problem. Finally, it is a developing country give it time and it will come good, overall Borispol is OK, crowded, noisy, too small with little Western style ideas of customer service - accept these things and you will be fine.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 2 October 2008 : by G Lopenzo

Customer Rating : 3/5

Used Kiev with a group of 15 Canadian tourists. Although it isn't as modern as western airports, its not bad. Check in was slow, but all bags checked through to Toronto (Ukraine International to vienna and Austrian to Toronto), all arrived. Security took 15 minutes as there is one machine to screen all passengers in "B" holdroom, which has probably 5 gates for 150 seat jets. Very poor. Overall, its okay.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 1 October 2008 : by D Zohar

Customer Rating : 1/5

Very backward airport - filthy toilets, confusing signs, rip-offs at food stalls and duty free and worst of all- if in transit there is a high probability your luggage will be lost. In my small tour group that went via Kiev to China there were 5 lost suitcases. Beware.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 26 September 2008 : by M Bedioui

Customer Rating : 1/5

Waiting for hours at KBP can be boring and depressing. Especially as plugs are more than rare and inaccessible. Seating areas in the international terminal are packed, noisy. In case you have to wait for 7 hours as I have today, you have to know that when you arrive from abroad, you can freely stay in the luggage hall, where you have many FREE seats, close to reachable plugs. That is just before you go through the Customs, close to the lost & found office. And nobody will tell you anything. Also, second good news, Ukraine will host the Soccer Euro cup in 2012: That surely means a new airport. Any information about that?

KIEV AIRPORT review : 27 August 2008 : by Yevheniy Kahanovych

Customer Rating : 1/5

Borispol is getting worse and worse. Very inefficient security service located near recently made unnecessary doors which are never closed, but are too narrow to allow a person with wheeled bag to go through. Probably the most idiotic change over the years. Immigration booths are moved to almost nowhere and are now located near the line of smelly toilets, so standing in the line is a quite an experience. No choice of food airside. 2 bars selling pieces of bread for 3EUR. Lots of vodka is available, though. On arrival it is not terrible, but just bad. Again poor toilets. When asked cleaners why toilets are not cleaned, was answered that they don't get cleaning liquids. Staff attitude is third world. Overall experience is third world.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 2 August 2008 : by Dave Stanley

Customer Rating : 2/5

The staff are working hard at being the most miserable on the planet. At least, that is how it felt arriving. I had a connecting flight to catch, which was almost missed because of the extremely long inbound immigration queues. Standard response from staff to most queries was 'What do you expect me to do about it?' The airport cannot cope with the number of flights now using it. The actual building and facilities are not too bad. If there is a long queue for the toilets, run over to the domestic terminal.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 20 June 2008 : by J Rebel

Customer Rating : 3/5

Been in & out some 20+ times over the last 3 years and it has become obvious that the airport's capacity is stretched to it limits. When departing the drop-off is now often a couple of hundred meters from the terminal building unless you bribe one of the guards to let you through. (going rate Hrv 15) Check-in speed depends on the airline but is usually good if you pick the line carefully. Passport control often has 30 minute lines going out and a 1 hour wait is not unusual coming in. Luggage retrieval has a strong Congolese flavor and if you think your bag isn't coming, hotfoot it over to the handlers' office asap. to be the first to fill in a claim. (processing time of a claim: 15 minutes minimum x 20 people waiting after you isn't so bad unless you're the last one in line.) On a brighter note: fine soft-ice is sold in arrivals' hall for a song and taxi fares are deeply negotiable.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 30 May 2008 : by Yevheniy Kahanovych

Customer Rating : 2/5

This is my third comment here since 2005. Need to say that the passenger volume grows rapidly, and the airport doesn't manage it well. Since last year there is no thing that hasn't worsen there. One plus is that check in remains fast. Overall facility now is an absolute third world with dirty toilets, rip off food prices, taxi scam and airline offices chaotically distributed throughout the departures hall and looking like flea market stalls. Cigarette smoke everywhere, still no line management at check-in or anywhere else. Parking and access to the terminal are idiotic. The facility is complete chaos, and I wouldn't wonder to find it appropriate for let say Nigeria, not for Kiev. Passport control is not sufficiently staffed for the most of the day, especially in the morning when dozen of flights to Western Europe are departing. The signage remains insufficient, written in ridiculous English. I have no idea whether anybody cares about passengers' needs. It is not as bad as Sheremetyevo yet, but the management only cares how to leave as much room for improvement as possible. Embarrassment to the city and to the country.

KIEV AIRPORT review : 5 May 2008 : by Evan Horbay

Customer Rating : 4/5

Departing on Ukraine international to Vienna. Check in was slow, but we quickly made it to customs, where we were through within 5 minutes. Departures area quite nice. 2 security screens for all B gates is crazy, as it takes forever. Gate area fine, and we were bussed in a modern bus to our plane, very close to the terminal. Overall, a nice place.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by T Phipps

20 December 2007   Customer Rating : n/a

Hideous airport. Arrived there in August. The queues at passport control were vast and it took over hour to get through, just to get my passport stamped. The queues were disorganised with no fences to keep queues organised. Many people entered the Ukrainian citizens passport control queue by mistake and had to wend their way into the international passports lines. By the time I'd cleared passport control, I entered the baggage reclaim area from hell: luggage was strewn everywhere, offloaded from the carousels and dumped on the floor to make room for the later flights, whose passengers were still caught in the doom that was passport control. Dozens of people were slowly picking their way through the piles of bags in a quest for their luggage. I finally found mine, and then had to weave my way through swarms of people standing in the arrivals hall for the poor souls still trapped in passport control. Departure was better, but then it could hardly be worse. For some reason, they have customs checks BEFORE you reach the check in desks (and then after) so the check in clerks have no one to process because of the slow process at the one security gate. There is no queuing system there either - just a large scrum. I've been to Africa, and Borispol Airport is far worse than anything I've seen there. I can imagine that airports in a war zone have better organised airports. It was hell and the only reason I give it a 1 star is because there isn't anything less. Having said that, Kiev is a wonderful city.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Mark Evans

4 December 2007   Customer Rating :

The lack of jetways at Borispil means that you are most likely to be bused to and from your aircraft. In winter's sub-zero temperatures, this is most unwelcome, as you will spend much time crushed on board a bus that is in no hurry to get a move on, its doors wide open to the elements. Wrap up warm! You can avoid the taxi touts on arrival by going to the taxi kiosk at Terminals A and B to book and prepay your taxi - I paid a fare to a southern Kiev suburb of UAH200, equivalent to USD40 or GBP20. The taxis are not metered and foreign arrivals are seen as fair game.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Yevheniy Kahanovych

9 October 2007   Customer Rating :

I regularly fly to and from Borispol, both domestically and internationally. Need to say that the airport is growing, some things are getting better, some are worsening, but the overall trend is positive. Toilets are now cleaner than couple years ago, security lines are not long, but move slowly, as well as immigration lines on departure. Immigration on arrival is ok. As to the domestic terminal, some improvement is visible, but the whole facility is not really good. Taxi scam is on the place at the both terminals, and there is not known if the aiport authorities have an idea how to manage the issue (can recommend them to look at Domodedovo taxi service). Another trouble of the aiport is their sings. They are written in very funny English. It seems that manufacturer used automatic dictionary to translate words from Ukraininan into English. There is a serious lack of food facilities. The existing ones are only landside, overpriced and of very poor quality. Airside, you can only find bars with small selection of pre-cooked sandwiches of uninspiring quality. Shopping is limited to a single duty- free shop which is too small for the number of people crowding inside. WiFi is available evrywhere, but doesn't connect you to Internet. Vehicle access to the building is idiotically organised. Worse than anywhere else. Parking facilities are nothing but trouble. All in all, very average, but better than it used to be.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Christian Mueller

18 September 2007   Customer Rating :

Like most Eastern-European Airports also KBP offers a 3rd VIP Terminal (Terminal C) - for departure and arrival. At a charge of US$ 100/way and person this service is available for everyone (but you have to make the reservation at least one day before your departure/arrival via phone). You arrive to Terminal C by car (seperate parking), your luggage is picked up, your passport/ticket taken and you may sit down at sofas and enjoy a drink and food (free). Then you'll be handed your boarding pass and be brought through a seperate customs/passport control were you don't have t wait at all. Then you sit down in a seperate hall in Terminal C and wait for boarding. A minibus will bring you to the aircraft and a staff member will bring your hand luggage to the aircraft door. Instead of 2 hours before the flight (Terminal B) you've to arrive at Terminal C only 1 hour before the flight. Arriving Terminal C only makes sense when you have hand luggage only and you don't have to wait for your luggage anyway. Having only hand luggage you'll leave the airport maximum 10 minutes after arrival of the aircraft.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Tobias de Vlamingh

7 February 2007   Customer Rating : n/a

I use both terminals at Borispol regularly and yes, the domestic terminal is a little basic, but in fact there are 2 food outlets inside the domestic terminal and another descent little restaurant just outside the terminal. In my contact with airport staff at both terminals I found them to be very helpful and friendly.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Yevheniy Kahanovych

29 January 2007

Used KBP 4 times in the last two weeks. Terminal B (international) was ok on departure (very swift check-in with British Airways) and on arrival. Immigration (Ukrainian passport desk) took 10 minutes what was absolutely acceptable. The terminal A (domestic) is a smaller version of terminal B, but looks = more shabby. This is an ugly facility with nothing to do. No food outlet, no toilets beyond security, no automated doors leading to apron, no anything you expect to see at any airport. Check-in swift. Staff are brusque.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Orhan Iner

30 July 2006

On arrival, immigration could be leaner. You might get the wrong impression that people are rude. Officers knows a little English, but easy on foreigners. Custom declaration not required if you have less than $ 3000.00 in cash. If you don't speak Russian, a local MUST you at arrival. Taxis drivers don't know any English. And airport is about 40 minutes drive from downtown. Terminal, obviously, needs renovation but departure gates and duty free section are ok. Business lounge is just an ordinary venue, no goodies.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Yevheniy Kahanovych

8 July 2006

Another experience of departing from and arriving to Borispol. Check-in hall is spacious since the customs desks had been removed from there. E- ticketing converts your check-in to bag drop-off, and that's it! New immigration facilities, the queue is just 5-7 minutes long. Then you go to the Duty Free zone. Quite a shabby place. Not clean, with nothing to do there. Then ridiculous gates signposting. How many numbers would you assign for two aerobridges and one exit to the tarmac? Three? The wrong answer. Eleven. It begins from 7, then goes 8, and then 2A. Looks like a stupid joke. And works the same way. Nobody can simply find where his flight departs from. Security search at the gate entrance. Arrivals are is just an annoying place everybody has to pass through; however, it works better than it looks. Immigration is reasonably fast, baggage arrives soon. All in all half the way from third world airport with dirty toilets and no imagination of what should airport look like to facility that doesn't please, but works and is not a complete disgrace like Moscow Sheremetyevo or same Borispol 5 years ago.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Peter Yates

18 May 2006

Borispol Airport has improved greatly in the past three years I have travelled to the Ukraine, and like most airports it seems chaotic to the novice first travelling to the Ukraine. As you are meet with the usual serious officials and customs forms. Clearing Passport Control can take sometime depending upon the number of officials working. Customs are usually friendly and are no problem. Once you clear Caustoms and enter the main hall you are meet by a crowd of people some Taxi Drivers and others meeting people. If you can it is best to meet someone at the airport to get you past the Taxi drivers as foreigners stand out like a sore thumb. The airport amenities are getting better but like all airports are very expensive and offer a poor exchange rate.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Volodya Bilotkach

30 April 2006

Agree with Yevheniy - the airport has improved substantially over the last year or so. Changes in customs control substantially reduced the crowds landside. Parking in front of the terminal is chaotic to say the least, and people smoking everywhere airside make waiting much less pleasant (there are no smoking signs here and there, but people smoke anyway). In the soviet times, KBP was pretty good for plane-spotting (even though there were only Aeroflot planes), but not now. I also think the authorities should do something about those taxi drivers greeting you on arrival. I mean, make it illegal for them to solicit rides in the terminal, at the very least. the funniest thing about the airport is "EXIT IN CITY" written above the door leading to the arrivals hall. Could they not find someone with adequate knowledge of English in the entire country?

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Kasper Hettinga

10 February 2006

On arrival, I was through immigration within 10-15 minutes, staff was efficient. Baggage took only a short time. In total, in took me less than an hour from the airplane seat to the airport bus. Taxi drivers/touts are no problem on arrival. On the way back, the experience was a bit worse, because there was a huge amount of people waiting to get past luggage inspection. It was really chaotic! But after 20 minutes waiting, the screening itself was quick, and there was no waiting for check-in. From there on, everything went smoothly. I had drinks and food on airside for acceptable prices. All in all, the airport gave me a much better impression than expected.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Carsten Hohnsbehn

13 December 2005

Immigration fast and friendly, waiting time for luggage acceptable. All departure passengers crowded in one hall around the duty free shop. Number of seating places not sufficient. Smoker corner not separated. Only one display about departures, difficult to see.

Kiev Borispol Airport review by Yevheniy Kahanovych

24 October 2005

As Kiev resident I use Borispol constantly and have to say that some improvements implemented in the last two years were serious. They have managed to switch to European-like system of customs control for departing passengers, they have built new chek-in area in the Terminal B, thay have opened a new restaurant of very good quality (but overpriced) on the landside. As to the airside the situation remains sad. The departures hall on the second floor is full of smoke (smoking is not prohibited there), toilets are not clean (such a shame!), and there is no where to eat at all. The two bars sell drinks and biscuits only . On arrivals they have built new arrivals hall on the ground level, that is sufficient for the number of passengers served, but doesn't have any seat. The passengers bussed from their planes (there are 2 airbridges in this puny airport only) arrive directly to the immigration hall located on the ground level, but those who disembark via airbridges, have to use stairs. Another choice to go down is a single elevator, capacity of which is good for 2-3 persons. So, when you depart, try not to leave the landside until the last moment. When you arrive, the only delay can occur at the immigration desk. All in all, the airport is becoming acceptable, and as I know, the new terminal is to be built within 3 years.

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