TUI kicks-off Cyprus summer 2022 with new flying ambassador

Just in time for the start of the summer season, Cyprus is getting a new flying ambassador, a plane that was christened ‘Larnaca’ at a special ceremony on Sunday.

Larnaca, the most important region of Cyprus for TUI holidaymakers from all over the world, is the namesake for TUI fly’s new Boeing 737-8, an announcement from Hermes Airports said.

The aircraft with the number X3 4564 was greeted with water fountains by the airport fire department on Sunday and then received its name from the President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, who christened it.

Around 50 guests, including the transport minister, Yiannis Karousos, and the deputy mayor of the city of Larnaca, Iasonas Iasonides, attended the naming ceremony.

“The Boeing 737-8 Larnaca is an ambassador for Cyprus and TUI throughout Europe. People want to travel after two years of pandemic, they are sitting on packed suitcases for Spring and Summer. Tourism will have a very good holiday summer in 2022. The countries of Southern Europe, which were hit particularly hard by travel restrictions during the pandemic, will benefit from this,” said Fritz Joussen, CEO of TUI Group.

“Things are looking up for hotels, for family businesses and for the many local partners who work with us to make guests’ holidays successful,” he added.

Cyprus tourism was hit hard during the Covid-19 Pandemic and experts were quick to ring warning bells in light of developments in Ukraine and Russia. The start of TUI’s Cyprus summer campaign can only come as a sigh of relief for local tourism providers and hoteliers.

According to Joussen, TUI aims to bring more guests to the island in 2022, especially from the UK and Germany, in an effort to make a visible contribution to the success of tourism in Cyprus.
Meanwhile, House President Anita Demetriou was there to do the honours during the plane’s blessing ceremony.

“It is a great pleasure for me to be the godmother as well as the person chosen to provide the good luck blessing to the TUI Boeing 737-8 named after our city, Larnaca. TUI has been present in Cyprus for several years and the company’s long-standing relations with our country are not only vital for the tourism sector but also help in maintaining the island’s competitiveness in international markets. Ι would like to congratulate, and thank TUI for their operations and work carried out in Cyprus and once again thank them for nominating me to host the present naming ceremony,” Demetriou said.

Cyprus and TUI have been linked by a long partnership spanning five decades. With around 500,000 guests annually, TUI is the market leader in Cyprus and offers tours to the island from eleven European markets. The group operates 19 own-brand hotels, including 14 in Larnaca and five in Paphos. In total, TUI offers more than 330 hotels in Cyprus and has close partnerships with local hoteliers.

“It is clearly an honour that a long-standing partner such as TUI has chosen to name one of its aircraft after the city of Larnaca, but more importantly this marks the strong relations between TUI and Cyprus and the confidence put on the destination”, said Eleni Kaloyirou, CEO of Hermes Airports.