Brussels air route not viable, despite subsidy

GOVERNMENT subsidies for Larnaca-Brussels flights are not gearing enough interest, Communications and Works minister Marios Demetriades said on Thursday.

“These flights were not financially viable for airlines so the route became a Public Service Obligation where there is €500,000 in grants available,” he said. The decision was taken because, had airlines taken it upon themselves to offer the flight, they would lose money.

The subsidies were available since the end of 2014 on the condition of operating three flights a week during the winter season and four times a week in summer, however the grant is currently not proving to be a success.

“There are 70,000 people that travel to Brussels per year,” he said, stressing that the city was not particularly a top tourist destination but that by the end of this month there would be new conditions that they aim to begin in autumn such as possibly reducing flight frequencies.

Figures by the statistical service Cystat showed that Greece, the United Kingdom, Russia, Egypt, Israel and Lebanon were the top destinations for residents of Cyprus for the first two months of 2015.

In early March, a package of six incentives to entice more airlines to Cyprus was signed between airports’ operator Hermes and the Ministry of communications. The three year agreement for both Larnaca and Paphos airports includes developing new (single) routes, development of winter traffic, discounts on landing fees at Cypriot airports, development through a Growth Bonus Plan on a net traffic growth for existing routes, and marketing support for the promotion of Cyprus by the airlines.