Airline celebrates soaring success

EUROCYPRIA Airlines and Boeing yesterday celebrated their 10,000th flight together.

Founded in 1991, Eurocypria was launched as the first Cyprus-based charter airline and has since worked to make the island more accessible to those areas of Europe from which there are no direct flights to Cyprus.

Today, Eurocypria operates flights from over 50 airports in 14 countries and is now also operating scheduled flights to various European destinations.

The airline’s fleet consists of four Boeing 737-800 aircraft, offering 189 leather seats and the very latest in-flight entertainment systems.

The Boeing 737-800 is the best-selling version of the next generation 737 family. By the end of January 2005, Boeing had won orders for 1221 737-800s and had delivered 829 to 53 operators around the world.

Known for its reliability, fuel efficiency and economical performance, the 737-800 can fly faster, further and higher than its main competitor, the Airbus A320.

Announced by Boeing in September 1994, the aircraft’s first delivery was to German carrier Hapag-Lloyd in 1998.

The plane incorporates a new, advanced technology wing airfoil design, which provides an economical cruise speed of 530 mph. It is capable of cruising to a maximum altitude of 41000 feet.

Engines are produced by CFMI, a joint venture of General Electric of the US and Snecma of France. CFMI is the world’s largest supplier of jet engines.

Overall, the entire 737 family is the best-selling commercial jet in history and has carried more than 12 billion passengers since 1968.

The fleet has flown more than 75 billion miles, which is approximately 403 round trips from the Earth to the sun. There are around 1,250 737s in the air at all times, with one taking off every 5.3 seconds.

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.