Limited number of Paphos flights in April, hopes for increase in May

April will see a limited number of flights landing at Paphos airport, according to Hermes airports communications director Maria Kouroupi, who said an increase in arrivals will only take place in May.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency on Friday, Kouroupi said five flights a week will land in Paphos throughout April, namely flights from Tel Aviv, Krakow, Moscow and Thessaloniki later in the month.

“We are expecting more flights in May, especially from the UK,” she said.

“However, we will have to wait for the announcements scheduled for April 5, when the British government will unveil its holiday roadmap to see whether Britons will be allowed to go on holiday abroad from May 17 onwards.”

Kouroupi added that many airlines have expressed their interest to include Paphos in their schedule, although at the moment demand is very low, as travellers are still reluctant to book flights fearing they will be cancelled.

Ryanair will be expanding its schedule of flights from Paphos this summer. From June, the airline will start flights twice a week to Treviso in Northern Italy, whereas from July, it will also add Bari, Bologna, Rhodes and Corfu to its schedule.

The Paphos Regional Board of Tourism (ETAP) on Friday welcomed Ryanair’s decision to increase its presence at Paphos airport.

“The additional flights are extremely important for our town, now as well as in the future,” ETAP executive director Nassos Hatzigeorgiou told the Cyprus News Agency.

“By investing in Paphos, Ryanair is making a tangible contribution to the restart of our economy.”

Kouroupi also said airlines that were flying to Paphos before the Covid-19 pandemic, such as EasyJet, Tui and other low-cost airlines from Scandinavia, have all expressed their interest in returning to Cyprus.

Additional plans concerning flights arriving from the Middle East, the UK and Germany are also being discussed.

Finally, Kouroupi said that a flight from Israel has already landed in Paphos on Wednesday and another one is expected to arrive on Sunday. Thursday also saw the arrival of a flight from Russia carrying around 140 passengers.

Regarding the observance of measures and the cooperation between Hermes Airport and health officials, Kouroupi said both Larnaca and Paphos airports have fully complied with every rule issued by the government and that procedures to disembark landing passengers have been improved to contain the risk of spreading the virus.

“We are optimist regarding the upcoming months,” she said. “However, until our epidemiological situation does not improve, unfortunately many flights risk being cancelled,” she concluded.