ATHENS has earned a place in Cypriots’ hearts as one of the most popular destinations, with 12 flights scheduled to the Greek capital every day.
Figures show that between 1997 and 2006 there has been an increase of 154 per cent in the number of round-trips (Larnaca-Athens), and a corresponding rise of 112 per cent on passenger traffic.
And a staggering statistic: from 1997 to 2006, on average every Cypriot has flown at least once to the “Eleftherios Venizelos” airport every two years.
The year 2004 saw a surge of 28.3 per cent in passengers compared to 2003. Two factors contributed to this: the Olympic Games in Athens, and the entry of a new player in the market, Aegean Airlines.
Aegean shook up the market, which up until then had been the exclusive domain of Cyprus’ state carrier and Greece’s Olympic Airways.
So far this year, there have been 6,489 round-trip flights from Larnaca to Athens, amounting to 608,059 tickets.
Daily, Cyprus Airways and Aegean each carry out five routes to Athens, with Olympic Airways doing two.
That means that every two hours a jet takes off for Athens.
The proximity of the Greek capital and the low airfares due to competition make Athens an especially attractive place to visit.
Traffic peaks in the summer months, although in recent years more and more Cypriots do the trip in autumn and even winter.
In fact, long weekends in Athens in the supposedly slow months of September or October have now become a hot item on Cypriots’ agenda.
“Many are heading out to Athens to do their shopping, go to the theatre, visit friends or siblings, and of course for the nightlife – this is the time of year when the popular singers resume their performances in the nightclubs,” said Despo Themistocleous, senior travel consultant for Amathus Travel, agents for Olympic Airways.
She said a ballpark figure for the airfares was £120 to £130, but could go up to £150 depending on how late the purchase was made.
Cyprus Airways spokesperson Kyriacos Kyriacou quoted similar prices for their airline.
“Most people leave on the Friday and come back on Sunday night or Monday morning.
Right now, there is huge demand for weekend trips, with the planes almost always full,” he told the Cyprus Mail.
