Austrian aims for 20% to Larnaca, inaugurates new Cyprus office

Austrian Airlines currently claims an 18% share of business of incoming traffic to Larnaca airport and hopes to raise that to 20% soon, with passenger numbers expected to increase from 100,000 to about 110,000 next year.

Herbert Felber, the airline’s Director of Commercial Passenger in south east Europe, the Middle East and central Asia, told the Financial Mirror that Austrian “is not a big airline, but not a small one either.”

“We are expanding heavily into east Europe and central Asia and we are the biggest operator in the area as regards destinations,” he said while visiting Cyprus for the inauguration of the airline’s new office in Nicosia.

The office adorns the company’s new design concept with the colours of blue, green and red. Agriculture Minister Photis Photiou inaugurated the office in the presence of Rudolf Mertl, Executive Vice President Commercial Passenger Division, Sotos Stephanou, Managing Director of Aeolos, associates and guests.

Country Manager Cyprus, Sylvia Petersen, said that the airline’s success is based on the consistency of the ten weekly flights Austrian operates to the island since its first flight in November 1979.

“Austrian can operate with smaller aircraft and is always ready to explore new destinations,” added Felber who said that the minimum 25 minutes connection time in Vienna makes it a great transfer centre.

“We look at business traffic first, then tourism. For example in Romania we are operating smaller aircraft but frequent flights, while most of our destinations operate at least three times a week and we increase frequency rather than capacity depending on demand,” he said.

“That’s why we have a reputation of ‘first in, last out’ to most destinations.”