Hermes airports has announced a steady recovery of passenger traffic at the island's airports with the ACI Europe saying the Cyprus airports achieved full recovery of their total air connectivity. A press release issued by Hermes Airports said the first half of 2023 concluded on a positive note in terms of passenger traffic at Cyprus' airports, with a significant 3% increase compared to the corresponding period in 2019 and a total of 4,808,431 passengers. Specifically, it said during January-June 2023, a total of 3,252,612 passengers traveled from Larnaka airport, while 1,555,819 passengers travelled from Pafos airport. According to the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, Cyprus airports ranked first and achieved full recovery of their total air connectivity (direct + indirect connectivity) compared to pre-pandemic (2019) levels compared with other European countries. It remarked that the loss of the Russian and Ukrainian markets, which accounted for over 20% of the total passenger traffic, has been offset by the development of existing markets, some of which have experienced growth of over 50% compared to 2019. Additionally, new markets that have been added, such as France and Italy, have made a significant impact. In the first half of 2023, the top markets were the United Kingdom, Greece, Israel, Poland, and Germany. Austria, Romania, Hungary, Armenia, and France complete the top ten markets. In line with its strategy on route development and airline support, Hermes Airports collaborates with 55 airlines operating flights to and from Larnaka and Pafos airports, offering 155 routes to 39 countries. New routes have already been launched for the summer season, and based on the available data so far, passenger traffic is expected to approach the levels of 2019. According to Maria Kouroupi, Senior Manager of Aviation Development and Communication of Hermes Airports "undoubtedly, the country's connectivity remains at the core of our strategy as it is the driving force of tourism". The summer schedule of both Larnaka and Pafos airports, she said, "offers passengers more options and a wide range of destinations. Based on the data so far, Cyprus has the potential to achieve year-round tourism, as this winter has exceeded all expectations. Therefore, we should use this positive momentum and the increasing flow of tourists to further strengthen our presence in new markets", she concluded.
Source: Cyprus News Agency