Passenger air transport prices in Cyprus were 5 per cent higher in August than a year earlier, moving against the EU trend as airfares across the bloc fell slightly, according to Eurostat figures released on Friday.

Prices for package holidays in Cyprus also rose by 3.7 per cent year on year, compared with an increase of 3.2 per cent across the EU.

The increases come as Cyprus is also facing comparatively high inflation. The island’s harmonised inflation rate stood at 5.2 per cent in August 2026, the third highest in the EU, behind Romania and Lithuania.

Across the bloc, passenger air transport prices fell by 0.4 per cent year on year, while package holidays became 3.2 per cent more expensive, matching the EU’s overall inflation rate.

Greece recorded the sharpest rise in airfares, at 16.3 per cent, followed by Ireland at 14.4 per cent.

Flight prices fell in 10 EU countries, however, with Slovakia recording by far the largest decline, at 61.2 per cent. Among the other countries where fares became cheaper, the falls ranged from 15.8 per cent in Spain to 0.9 per cent in Lithuania.

Package holiday prices, meanwhile, increased in most EU countries. Belgium recorded the largest annual rise, at 16.2 per cent, followed by Portugal at 14.3 per cent, Sweden at 12.8 per cent, Lithuania at 12.3 per cent and Romania at 11.9 per cent.

Prices fell in only four member states. Estonia recorded a 21.1 per cent decline, followed by Spain with 5.2 per cent, Italy with 4.8 per cent and Ireland with 0.4 per cent.

Inflation rates also differed considerably across the bloc. Romania had the highest rate in August at 6.3 per cent, followed by Lithuania at 5.6 per cent, Cyprus at 5.2 per cent, Bulgaria at 5 per cent and Spain at 4.6 per cent.

Belgium followed at 4.2 per cent and Luxembourg at 4 per cent, while Greece and Croatia both recorded 3.7 per cent. Portugal stood at 3.6 per cent, Poland at 3.5 per cent, and Ireland and Slovenia at 3.4 per cent.

Italy’s inflation rate matched the EU average of 3.2 per cent, followed by Slovakia at 3.1 per cent and Latvia at 3 per cent. Germany and Austria both recorded 2.9 per cent, ahead of the Netherlands at 2.8 per cent, France at 2.6 per cent and Finland at 2.4 per cent.

Rates were lower elsewhere, with Denmark and Malta at 2 per cent, Hungary at 1.8 per cent and Czechia at 1.5 per cent. Estonia recorded 1.3 per cent, while Sweden had the lowest inflation rate in the EU at 0.3 per cent.

Eurostat’s figures also show sizeable changes in travel prices since the beginning of 2025, particularly for airfares.

EU passenger air transport prices were 13.7 per cent higher year on year in April 2025, before falling 3.2 per cent in May.

The changes continued this year, with airfares down 2.9 per cent in January 2026 and 4.7 per cent in April, before rising 8.1 per cent in May. By August, prices were 0.4 per cent lower than a year earlier across the EU.

Package holiday prices followed a steadier pattern. They increased 8.3 per cent in January 2025 and 8 per cent in February, while the annual rise stood at 7.7 per cent in April.

From June to October 2025, the annual increases moved closer to the EU’s overall inflation rate.

Package holiday prices then fell 0.5 per cent year on year in April 2026, before rising again over the following months to stand 3.2 per cent higher across the EU in August.

Eurostat said the figures are based on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP). Package holidays include combinations of services such as travel, accommodation, food and organised tours, with price changes recorded when the holiday is purchased rather than when the trip takes place.