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The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Public Works has announced that according to Eurostat Cyprus ranks sixth among EU countries with the smallest decrease in flights in 2021 compared to 2019.
He said that the initiatives undertaken by the ministry, in collaboration with the Deputy Minister of Tourism regarding the connectivity of Cyprus, are showing results. In 2020, passenger traffic to and from airports in Cyprus was 1,804,187 passengers, while in 2021 it increased to 2,881,631.
The ministry notes that one of the initiatives was the incentive program offered to airlines to manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific scheme, approved by the European Commission, provides for subsidizing airlines according to the occupancy rate of the aircraft.
The aim of the program is to restore Cyprus’s connectivity with Europe and the rest of the world and to support the Cypriot economy.
Implemented on July 1, 2020 and extended until the end of 2021, the program has been well received and used by airlines to increase connectivity with other destinations.
The scheme is aimed at airlines landing and taking off in Cyprus and provides that airlines will bear up to 40% of the risk for the load factor of the aircraft.
In addition, the level of remuneration depends on the load factor of the aircraft and will be paid for each passenger carried. Aid will be paid to airlines when they reach a load factor of 41% to 70%.
Thanks to these efforts, Cyprus has succeeded in attracting new airlines. Some have set up their hub at airports in Cyprus and others have preferred to make use of the fifth right to freedom of the air (the right or privilege, with respect to scheduled international air services, granted by a State to another State to land and take on, in the territory of the first State, the traffic coming from or going to a third State).
In addition, airlines have added new destinations to their flight schedule such as Paris, Marseille, Dartmouth, Hanover while passenger choices to destinations such as Athens, Moscow and Kiev have increased.
The ministry recalled that a declaration on air connectivity, co-signed by 8 EU Member States, namely Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Romania, has was presented in June at the EU Transport Council meeting in Luxembourg by Yiannis. Karousos, Minister of Transport, Communications and Public Works of Cyprus.
The latest Eurostat ranking of Cyprus in 6th place with the lowest decrease in flights in 2021, compared to those of 2019, justifies the policy implemented and proves that in every crisis, opportunities can arise, concluded the ministry’s press release.
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