By Athena Karsera
THERE has been a marked rise in the number of passengers flying on the beleaguered national carrier, giving hope that Cyprus Airways might yet claw its way out of trouble.
A press release issued yesterday said the number of passengers carried by the Cyprus Airways group had risen by 7.7 per cent in 1998.
Cyprus Airways and its charter subsidiary Eurocypria carried 1,719,000 passengers, compared to 1,596,000 the year before.
Apollo class was especially successful, with a 16.3 per cent increase in business travellers, crowning a 20 per cent rise the previous year.
Such success, however, is marred by strike threats from the airline’s largest union, Cynika.
On Friday, Cynika announced a four-hour strike for Thursday January 28.
Taking place between 7 am and 11 am, the strike will involve 1,200 staff members, including 27 pilots.
The union wants a 2.5 per cent pay rise and a two per cent hike in benefits. These increases fall in line with those given to other semi- government organisations two years ago, the union claims.
Meanwhile, independent studies have shown that Cyprus’ two airports effectively lost between £18 and 20 million a year by undercharging landing and service fees.
The two studies, by the Cyprus Development Bank and the Civil Servants’ Union, Pasydy, showed that Cyprus charged a fraction of the amount paid for similar services in other countries.
Specifically, the studies showed that Larnaca Airport charges £241 and £20 for landing and service fees respectively.
London charges £472 for landing fees and £1,790 for service. Frankfurt follows with total fees of £2,028 compared to Cyprus’ total of £261. Rome charges £1,920, Paris £1,231 and Athens £1,183.
The island’s two airports host on average 60 flights per day or 21,900 a year. The studies show that, if the government charged smaller planes at total of £600 in services and £950 for larger aeroplanes, it would make more than £17.5 million a year.
The Development Bank said such “giving away of money” was unheard of.
The Pasydy report continued in a similar vein: “The inexcusably low fees at Larnaca and Paphos Airports deprive the government of important income.”
The Bank report concluded that “airports should regulate their fees based on an independent financial system separate from political and other interests.” The report noted that fees were currently regulated in a complicated process involving the intervention of the Council of Ministers and the House of Representatives.
The Ministries of Finance and Communication and Works have been briefed on the findings of both studies.
