— Farmers lose €300-400,000/day —
A number of flights from Cyprus to central and south east Europe resumed on Tuesday as continental air traffic controllers allowed the partial lifting of a flight ban following last week’s volcano in Iceland that spewed dangerous ash across northern Europe.
But thousands of tourists and students remained stranded on the island trying to return to Britain.
The U.K. is also one of the leading buyers of Cyprus fresh produce with the losses by farmers estimated at around 300-400,000 euros per day.
In all, 30 flights were allowed to depart from Larnaca and Paphos to Athens, Thessaloniki, Vienna, Zurich, Rome, Bucharest and the Middle East, while 57 were still grounded as at midnight Tuesday, bringing the total of cancelled flights to just over 360. The main affected destinations were the U.K., Germany, Holland, France, Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Civil Defence rushed to provide beds and blankets to passengers at Larnaca airport, including some 120 Moslems returning to Britain from a pilgrimage to Mecca.
The force’s Larnaca chief, Chrysilios Chrysiliou said that food, water and juice were also offered, while children received fresh milk. He said the beds will stay at the airport until all stranded passengers return home
Cyprus Airways said it was resuming flights to Rome and Vienna, according to spokesman Kyriakos Kyriakou
As regards flights to Britain, Kyriakou said that there were some positive indications as regards U.K. airspace, especially over Scotland.
If conditions are favourable, he said, CAIR aircraft will fly there.
Late on Tuesday, CAIR scheduled a special flight to Bordeaux to carry mainly French travellers, who would later continue their journeys home over ground.
“We have resumed our flights to Vienna and are now clearing the back-log of stranded passengers,” said Austrian Airline’s Sylvia Petersen.
The news was not so good, though, for fellow Star Alliance partner Lufthansa, whose flights were still grounded.
KALLAS
EU transport ministers adopted a common policy on Monday to gradually lift flight restrictions imposed because of the ash cloud.
Communications and Works Minister Erato Kozakou Markoulli discussed on Monday, via teleconference, with her European counterparts, ways to handle the consequences of the situation that the ash cloud has caused to airlines.
She said Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas’ proposal “seems to be the most favourable and is supported by Eurocontrol.”
Under the agreement, the area immediately around the volcano will remain closed. However flights may be allowed in a wider zone with a lower concentration of ash, subject to local safety assessments and scientific advice, Eurocontrol said.
Asked if there will be any financial assistance to the airline companies that have suffered losses due to the flight cancellations, Markoulli said this issue will be decided at a community level.
TOURIST ARRIVALS
Cyprus Tourist Organisation Chairman Alecos Orountiotis said that the volcanic ash which grounded flights across Europe caused many problems to Cyprus tourism.
He said that the tourists affected so far, mainly from Britain, amount to 4,000-5,000.
Orountiotis expressed concern not only because flights are being cancelled but also over what will happen in 20 days or a month if the situation continues.
Noting that tourist arrivals in April 2009 reached 10,000-15,000 people, he said there will certainly be a reduction from these numbers this month.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Cyprus Hotel Association Chairman, Haris Loizides, said that they expect to have 50-60,000 fewer tourists this month, as the cancellations continue.
He added, however, that a joint effort must be made to accommodate the stranded tourists and pay for their bills.
“We cannot pay for the whole amount out of our own pockets, neither can the tour operators nor the holidaymakers themselves. We should all look at the problem together,” Loizides said, adding that the government should be lenient when it comes to the hoteliers.
Akis Vavlides of the Association of Cyprus Tourist Enterprises (STEK) said the reduction of tourist arrivals was a very serious issue, noting that a short period of time will be needed so that the situation will return to normal.
FRUIT AND VEG
A number of fruit and vegetable producers are also affected by the grounding of airlines, primarily in Britain and the Netherlands, which are considered the best markets for Cypriot exporters.
Agriculture Minister Demetris Eliades said that his department was monitoring the situation and that there was a possibility that affected Cypriot farmers would receive some sort of compensation from the Commission’s De Minimis programme.
DISY MP Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis said that the week-long problem was costing farmers about 300,000 to 400,000 euros per day in losses, as much of their fresh produce was being thrown away in public dumpsters.
AKEL MP Panikos Hambas said that farmers ought to be helped immediately so that they do not lose their precious buyers, primarily in the U.K.
