A RETIRED British pilot was one of a handful of passengers to fly out of the new terminal in Paphos, just after it opened, after flying into the old one, a week earlier.
Frequent visitor to Cyprus Geoff Hall and his wife Judith are well-seasoned travellers and enjoy holidaying abroad several times a year. They’ve been coming to Paphos for eight years and stay at the Elysium Hotel.
“We flew into the old airport of Paphos on November 11,” Hall told the Cyprus Mail, “and we departed from the new terminal on November 18.”
Now retired, Hall flew a variety of planes for nearly 50 years, serving 20 years in the RAF, piloting for Dan Air, and spending the last 20 years flying private jets.
“I enjoy travelling and have been lucky enough to see a lot of the world. Judith and I come to Cyprus at least once a year and use Paphos airport.”
He added, “the old airport could be described as quaint, but it had reached its limit, and in the last few years, we always found it to be overcrowded. I think it just became overwhelmed with the number of passengers it had to facilitate.”
The new Paphos terminal will be able to handle 2.7 million passengers a year.
“Our taxi driver was uncertain if the new terminal was open,” the couple said, “but well-placed security guards efficiently directed him in.”
“When we arrived at the old airport, three flights had landed at the same time, and so there was a delay with the luggage, but this had been standard practice at the airport recently; it was certainly our experience,” said Hall.
Operator Hermes Airports had conducted a barrage of stringent tests to ensure all ran smoothly from the first day of operation. These included using rehearsal passengers who helped test all the facilities of the airport.
Some had pointed out the lack of screens, the poor sound quality of announcements, and concerns over spacing at check-in. These were all points picked up by the Halls.
“We were in the business lounge, and we couldn’t hear the announcements, they were just meaningless blurb. They do need to address this,” said Hall.
His wife agreed: “the ludicrous thing was the announcements couldn’t be heard in the lounge we were in, and there are no information screens in there. So you had to get up and go out of the room to look at the monitors there.”
Hall added: “Ironically, our outbound flight back to the UK was delayed by one and a half hours, and came to Paphos via Larnaca, but this gave me a good opportunity to examine the facilities.”
“I particularly liked the outdoor coffee shop, and I looked round the restaurant and duty free.
“The airport is extremely well designed, and the construction is top rate. The small touches, such as the mosaic tiles, really create an impression, I was very impressed.”
But the check-in procedure at the new airport was a let down, and according to Hall could be improved.
“As we arrived there was a ‘blockage’. Three flights were going out at the same time, and they were all being dealt with by adjacent check-in queues, and it was all jammed up on the left hand side of the hall. They need to think about this for the future.
“We were asked all the correct security questions at check in,” he confirmed, “but this process was a little prolonged. We made allowances though; as it’s a new airport, and it was obvious the staff were unused to the new computer systems. There were three people standing behind the check-in staff, giving them guidance as to what to do.”
His wife commented, “the check-in was a bit of a shambles, it made me a bit cross to be honest. You should just be able to walk in, check in and go. There were abundant staff at the airport, but most of them seemed to be wandering around not knowing what they were doing.”
It was also the first time the Halls had used the national carrier, Cyprus Airways. How did they fare?
“We usually travel to Cyprus with British Airways, but I was left with a favourable impression of Cyprus Airways,” said the ex-pilot.
“The outbound flight from Stansted airport was excellent. The staff, the meal we were served, and the flight, were all top notch. I would use them again.”
And what impression of Paphos Airport will remain with the seasoned travellers?
“When everything has settled down, it will be a very nice airport, and much better than the old one,” they both agreed.
Work on the new airport at Larnaca is due to be completed by November 2009. The new Paphos terminal was completed on time and on budget.
