Direct flights to the US next year?

CYPRUS Airways (CY) could be operating direct flights to the US by the end of next year, Commerce Minister Nicos Rolandis said yesterday.

Speaking after a meeting with CY chairman Haris Loizides, Rolandis said attracting American tourists was a priority for both the government and the airline.

"We examined several issues relating to Cyprus tourism and Cyprus Airways, more specifically markets like the US, France, Hungary, Ireland and Poland," Rolandis said. "These markets show prospects."

Tourism from the US has increased by 30-40 per cent compared to last year and will probably be 50 per cent up by the end of the year, Rolandis said, adding he had been in constant contact with tourist offices in the US to determine the movement of visitors.

"There are expectations that we will surpass 35,000 tourists from the US and it’s a market we have worked at," Rolandis said.

He said the increase had much to do with the Miss Universe pageant, which was held on the island last May and gave the island millions of pounds worth of exposure in the US. "This started the momentum," Rolandis said.

He said his ministry had been working for six months on ways to create a direct route to the US, an absolute necessity if the market is to be developed further.

Loizides said at the moment that flights to the US were not feasible because the company’s fleet of Airbus A320s and A310s was not geared for 12-hour flights, although CY has the technical capabilities to do so, he said.

"It’s a difficult task for Cyprus Airways and the company needs to have close co-operation with the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and the ministry to succeed in starting these flights," he said. "We have the technical capabilities and if there are problems we will work on them as long as the market is there. We are here to serve any market within the framework of complete liberalisation."
CY is currently in the process of deciding whether to replace its existing fleet, or to lease or buy new aircraft and is in negotiation with both Airbus and Boeing. The board is expected to take a decision in the near future.

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