Ryanair has announced that it will launch its biggest ever flight schedule from Cyprus in the summer of 2023, increasing its total routes to 41 by adding 5 new destinations with a total investment of 400 million dollars.
Boosting its flight schedule to and from Cyprus, the low cost giant said it will carry out more than 260 flights weekly and is estimating to carry about 2 million passengers to and from the island in the next twelve months, Ryanair Commercial Director, Jason McGuiness told a press conference.
The announcement was welcomed by Minister of Transport Yiannis Karousos, Deputy Minister for Tourism Savvas Perdios and Eleni Kalogirou, CEO of Hermer Airports, the Cypriot airports operator, allo underscoring the importance of the coloration of the public and the private sector as well as thes significance of the incentive schemer airliners which boosted air connectivity to and from the island.
Ryanair said it will increase its fleet operating from Pafos Airport by 1 to a total of 4 and will increase its routes to 41 by adding five new routes, namely Athens, Bordeaux, Poznan Toulouse and Naples, while it will increase frequency to other seven routes.
“This is a 400-million dollar investment and we estimate we deliver in the region of two million passengers across the next twelve months which will make us the largest airline in Cyprus,” McGuiness said.
He noted that the summer of 2023 will see Ryanair’s “biggest-ever” flight schedule with 41 routes, noting that this will result in 120 direct and 1,600 indirect jobs in Cyprus.
McGuiness underscored the importance of the incentive schemes offered by Cyprus, noting “that is important for Ryanair’s long-term cost certainty.”
On her part, Kalogirou welcomed the announcement, highlighting that collaboration and agility were the key drivers for the recovery of passenger traffic following the Covid pandemic.
“It has been a long road with many ups and downs,” she said, noting that by the end of 2022 more than 9 million passengers will have travelled to and Cyprus’ two airports, representing a recovery of 80% compared to 2019, Cyprus’ record year despite the blow from the Russian market due to the war in Ukraine.
On his part, Savvas Perdios highlighted the importance of the incentive schemes, noting that the new routes emerged from the implementation of the Deputy Ministy’s strategy for Tourism.
Noting that 2021 will finish off with a reduction of 20% in tourist arrivals compared with 2019, stressing that arrivals from EU will close up by 23% compared with 2019.
“Also the EU as a whole is now our No 1 source market, more than 40% of all arrivals to Cyprus come from the EU today and over the next two to three years I am certain that this percentage will be even higher, obviously with you help but it the EU is going to be 50 or 60% of total arrivals in the next few years, certainly Ryanair is very well-placed to take advantage of that,” he added.
He noted that in the last three years the Deputy Ministry has spent €45 million for the upgrading of Cyprus’ tourist product and is estimated to spend an additional €80 million in the next three to four years, not including the investments by the private sector.
“These investments yield the confidence by huge airliners such as Ryanair” he added.
Yiannis Karousos described Ryanair’s announcement as the “best present” both for Cyprus and himself as today is his birthday.
The Transport Minister highlighted the collaboration of the public and the private sectors in boosting Cyprus’ air connectivity and recalled that Pafos airport was one of the few airports which saw an increase in passenger traffic compared with 2019.
Karousos said that apart from the incentive schemes, Cyprus has liberalised ground handling services which resulted in a reduction of 40% to 50% in airliners costs, without affecting tax-payer money.
“I have no doubt that following Ryanair’s announcement other airliners will follow suit announcing additional destinations or the increase in their flight schedules or bring additional aircraft thereby boosting their base in Cyprus,” he concluded.
Source: Cyprus News Agency