Air traffic up 12 per cent

AIR TRAFFIC in and out of Cyprus increased 12 per cent in 2007 and is expected to rise another 12.2 per cent during 2008, according to forecasts by Eurocontrol, the EU’s organisation for the safety of air navigation.

The latest Eurocontrol report said that after a period of stagnation, growth of air traffic movement in Cyprus would average five per cent over the next five years.

“Capacity has increased, but not in line with the traffic demand and further capacity. Enhancement actions including increased sector opening during busy hours will be needed to meet demand,” said the report.

However, along with increased traffic, will come increased costs, at least in the short term.

According to the Eurocontrol report, Cyprus’ national en-route unit cost per kilometre increased by 0.6 per cent during 2006, as costs increased slightly more than the number of kilometres flown.

“Significant Increase is foreseen during 2009 when a new ACC [Air Control Tower] building is scheduled to come into operation with a new ATM [Air Traffic Management] system operational,” the report said.

However, it added that over the period 2008-2012, the unit cost is forecast to decrease by 2.7 per cent compared to 2006 as a result of increased traffic and a series of planned cost-effectiveness measures.

Also, the report gives some details as to extent of time delays out of Cyprus. The average en-route delay per flight increased from 1.1 minutes in summer 2006 to 1.8 minutes in summer 2007 in Cyprus “considerably higher than the optimum”, the report said.

In 2007, the average delay per en-route flight in the EU was 1.2 minutes.

Eurocontrol said the current Department of Civil Aviation in Cyprus was undergoing a reorganisation centring on the functional separation between regulation and service provision within the current structure.

This system will, however, be replaced in 2008 through the establishment of an independent Civil Aviation Authority, where the regulatory role in air traffic management will rest with the Ministry of Communication and Works.

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.