Ray of hope for some ECA pilots

CYPRUS Airways (CY) will be hiring flight crews to staff two aircraft the company was planning to sell but reversed its decision after the demise of Eurocypria (ECA) and the potential of filling the gap left behind, it emerged yesterday.

CY said it will be hiring co-pilots for the two Airbus 320 planes but did not specify the number.

It is understood that at least some of the new hires will take the positions of CY co-pilots who will be promoted to captains.

“There will possibly be some promotions and positions will be filled,” CY spokesman Kyriacos Kyriacou said.

This development could be a ray of hope for ECA staff left without a job after the company went bust.

The CY announcement said pilots certified on A320 aircraft would have an advantage but those hired without the licence have to obtain it at their expense.

ECA pilots operated Boeing 737 aircraft and although all its captains are certified on both types, it is unknown if that is the case with co-pilots.

Kyriacou said the company assumes their training and has a long-term plan in place for the repayment.

CY is hoping to take over of at least part of ECA’s flight schedule in the coming months as the company is also struggling financially.

The airline has posted a €25 million loss for the fist half of the year, expected to rise to €30 million for the year.

The airline has already stepped in to cover ECA’s flights since the beginning of this month so as not to leave any passengers stranded.

A CY statement said the company has undertaken 38 extra flights carrying 5,000 affected passengers to their destinations.

There were 20 flights to and from various destinations in Germany, 16 flights to and from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and one each to Helsinki and Tel Aviv.

CY mainly used its two large aircraft – the A330s – and in two cases it had to rent aeroplanes from other companies.

One more flight will be carried out on Sunday to Moscow.

 

 

 

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.