THE PRICE of the flight to Athens might increase because of the cost of services at the city’s new airport at Spata, Cyprus Airways (CY) spokesman Tassos Angelides said yesterday.
Spata airport, where all planes from Cyprus will land, will be up and running on March 28.
“Cyprus Airways are considering raising fares because Spata airport is very modern, of a high standard and consequentially very expensive. Its services and facilities will cost a lot to carriers that will use it. An airline company will have to spend an extra £14 for every traveller flying from Larnaca to Athens or vice versa. It makes a big difference, considering that there are fares as low as £70.”
The standard ticket for a round trip to Athens costs just over £100.
Angelides said the national carrier was under great pressure from Spata airport authorities to raise its fares, but he was optimistic that there might be a way out of it.
“Our director there, Andreas Protopapas, is the vice president of the group of companies who use the airport and he is trying to negotiate a fair deal with airport authorities and the Greek government. Efforts are made to keep prices the same. But if the efforts don’t bring about the desired results, then airline companies will be asked to increase ticket prices.”
Angelides said some carriers were thinking cutting down their flights to Athens or stopping them altogether because of the cost.
“We are expecting traffic problems in the airport’s surrounding area because the road to Spata is still under construction. Travellers flying from the airport must make sure they are there well on time,” the CY spokesman warned.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
