Airports estimate 9 million passengers this year

Cyprus airports’ operator Hermes estimates that nine million passengers will have passed through Larnaca and Paphos terminals by the end of the year, marking an upward trend despite the Ukraine war.

In comments to the Cyprus News Agency, Hermes Airports CEO Eleni Kalogirou said: “We were able to increase traffic despite the disruption caused by the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia imposed by the EU member states”.

Kalogirou said that the two airports saw one million travellers pass through their gates each month from June to October.

“We expect this upward trend to continue until the end of the year. We estimate that 2022 will close with 9 million passengers going through our airports,” said Hermes CEO.

According to Hermes’ website, airport traffic increased from 5.1 million passengers last year to 2.3 million during the coronavirus struck 2020.

The record for passenger traffic was recorded in 2019 when some 11.2 million passengers used Larnaca and Paphos airports.

And 2019 was a record year for tourism, as 3.97 million tourists made their way to Cyprus.

According to Kalogirou, the increase was “not the result of coincidence, but of continuous work, as we took a framework of actions and incentives to attract airlines”.

She said, “the strengthening of Cyprus’ attractiveness as a tourist destination and the increased air connectivity has decisively contributed to shaping this growth course and constitute our strategic targets.”

Kalogirou said increased traffic at Cyprus airports had not brought any operational problems like those seen in major hubs due to the lack of staff.

“Our primary goal remains to help Cyprus become a model of sustainable tourism, which is why we are investing in a holistic plan of a modern business.

“The introduction of photovoltaic parks on our premises has already helped us cut down on our energy needs by 25% and 30%, respectively, at the airports of Larnaca and Paphos”.