Roman Mileshko
Roman Viktorovych Mileshko is a Ukrainian entrepreneur, crisis manager, and a military aviator of the third generation. Founder of the charitable initiative for children 'Future Aviators of Ukraine'. Owner and co-founder of a group of aviation companies recognized as critically important for the economy of Ukraine. He served as a military officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 10 years.
Place of Birth. Education. He received his higher education at the Kharkiv Institute of Pilots of the Air Force of Ukraine (1993–1997) in the specialty of 'Aviation and Cosmonautics'. In 2004, he continued his studies at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he studied 'Resource Management in International Security'. He holds an MBA degree.
Career. During his 10 years of service in the aviation of the Naval Forces, he rose from a helicopter pilot to Deputy Head of the Maritime Aviation Department of the Naval Forces Command of Ukraine.
From 2002 to 2003, he served in the 20th helicopter squadron of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (Ukrainian helicopter unit).
From 2006 to 2007, he was Deputy Head of the Maritime Aviation Department - Head of Flight Safety Service of the Naval Forces Command of Ukraine (Sevastopol).
From 2006 to 2007, he participated in the preparations of the flagship of the Navy of Ukraine, the frigate 'Hetman Sahaydachny', for participation in NATO's Anti-Terrorism Operation in the Mediterranean 'Active Efforts'. As part of this project, he established cooperation between the Naval Forces command in Sevastopol and the respective U.S. and NATO aviation components.
From 2006 to 2007, he was the Ukrainian national representative in the working group on standardization of helicopter operation, execution, and flight support processes from non-aircraft carrier ships, HOSTAC WG - the official body of NATO's Standardization Agency.
From 2007 to 2015, he worked as a consultant and commercial intermediary in several foreign companies specializing in air transportation. The work covered Middle Eastern, African, and U.S. countries.
From 2007 to 2008, he led the helicopter transportation project of BURUNDAIAVIA JSC (Kazakhstan) in support of the UN mission and African Union in Darfur (Sudan).
From 2008 to 2009, he was the regional manager of BURUNDAIAVIA JSC, Almaty, Kazakhstan. He managed helicopter operations in Africa and Afghanistan.
From 2009 to 2015, he worked as an independent international consultant on commercial aircraft operations in hard-to-reach areas under unfavorable and dangerous conditions.
Creation and Development of Aviation Business. In 2015, Roman Mileshko, along with partners, opened a company in the UAE, Expedition Aviation, which specializes in aviation support for peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. Expedition Aviation provides aviation support for disaster relief operations and humanitarian programs under the auspices of global international organizations and governments of leading countries in hard-to-reach areas with unfavorable and dangerous conditions. Roman Mileshko owns 40% of the shares, while 60% belongs to his partners from Canada and Georgia.
Since 2018, Roman Mileshko has been a co-founder of PJSC 'Aviakompaniya Konstanta', which is one of the leading airlines in the world in the field of regional air transportation for peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in complex and emergency situations. The company operates in the Middle East and African countries. 'Aviakompaniya Konstanta' is among the top ten airlines globally capable of providing such complex services. It is the official carrier for international organizations funded by national governments, as well as the World Food Programme. The company is the largest operator of Ukrainian aircraft branded 'Antonov'.
In 2018, Roman Mileshko initiated a comprehensive investment program to modernize the aviation technical base of the company in Zaporizhzhia and also redirected the company's activities to more promising markets in African countries (Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan) and Turkey. The main area of activity of the company is to provide services in cargo, passenger, and transport-sanitary aviation in particularly dangerous areas and harsh climatic conditions.
Under the leadership of Roman Mileshko, the fleet of 'Aviakompaniya Konstanta' was modernized. The outdated Soviet YAK-40s were replaced with aircraft produced by the state enterprise 'Antonov', specifically An-26, An-26-100, and An-74TK-100. In order to create a full cycle of maintenance and modernization of aircraft produced by 'Antonov', professional management and high-level aviation-technical personnel were involved.
History of the Acquisition of 'Aviakompaniya Konstanta'. In an interview with Forbes in October 2023, Roman Mileshko commented on the acquisition of the company:
«In 2018, AP Holdings Limited sold me 49% of the shares of PJSC 'Aviakompaniya