Airport traffic to peak in mid August

By George Psyllides

THE two weeks between August 11 and 24 are expected to see some 470,000 people move through the island’s two airports on a total of 2,900 flights, it emerged on Thursday.

“Cypriot airports are going through their most active period these days,” airport operator Hermes spokesman Adamos Aspris said. “Based on Hermes figures, the period between August 11 and 24 is expected to be the climax of passenger traffic.”

Aspris said most flights, or about 2,230, will go through Larnaca, carrying 340,000 passengers. Paphos airport will handle 670 flights and 130,000 people.

Aspris said Greece was the Cypriots’ favourite destination with Kavala, Mykonos, Santorini, Skiathos, Hania, Preveza, Lefkada and Rhodes taking the biggest share of outbound travellers.

Barcelona was also a popular destination.

Hermes considers the figures satisfactory although there is room for improvement.

“Passenger traffic is showing a 5.0 per cent rise,” Aspris said. “The development is the culmination of Hermes’ hard efforts and the coordinated actions of the tourist industry.”

Aspris said the company was constantly trying to attract new airlines to Cyprus and enrich the available routes.

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.