Low-cost airline Ryanair announced its biggest-ever Cyprus summer schedule for 2023, adding five new routes to Paphos, pushing total destinations to 41.
On Monday, Ryanair representatives said the latest routes would offer travellers another option for flying to the Greek capital, as it reinstates its Athens connection while introducing flights to France, to Bordeaux and Toulouse airports.
Ryanair will also offer Cypriot flyers the first-time opportunity to fly to Poznan, Poland and Naples, Italy.
At a press conference in Nicosia, Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason McGuinness, said the airline will also add a new aircraft to its Paphos-based fleet.
“Ryanair’s Paphos-based fleet will increase to 4 based aircraft, 2 of which will be Boeing 737 8-200 “Gamechanger” aircraft which deliver 4% more seats, burn 16% less fuel and create 40% less noise emissions,” said McGuiness.
He said the airline is essentially casting its vote of confidence in the island as its Summer 2023 schedule will deliver a $400 mln investment in Cyprus.
It will carry out 260 flights a week from Cyprus, representing a 15% increase compared to 2022.
“While other airlines are cutting capacity across Europe, Ryanair is growing and reinforcing its commitment to Cyprus”.
Ryanair will continue to work closely with its partners in Cyprus and across Europe, making a note of the Cypriot government’s incentive scheme, introduced to boost connectivity.
To celebrate this record-breaking Cyprus Summer schedule, it is launching a special seat sale with fares available from €29.99 one way for travel between April and October, which must be booked by midnight on 23 November www.ryanair.com.
Chief Executive Officer of Hermes Airports, Eleni Kaloyirou, said Cyprus’ airport operators were happy to see a long-standing partner, such as Ryanair, expanding its presence at Paphos.
“The addition of a fourth aircraft strengthens the presence of Ryanair in Cyprus, and we are confident that the new routes announced and the existing program will significantly contribute to the recovery and growth of Paphos’s airport, the tourism industry and the economy,” said Kalogirou.
“We remained collectively focused not only on the restart of tourism but also on maintaining the high standards of service that we want to offer our customers and the travelling public.”
Kalogirou said that with stakeholders’ collective work, Hermes is pleased to announce that by the end of the year, more than 9 million passengers will have travelled through Cyprus airports, which is a recovery of 80% compared to record-setting 2019.
Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios said that Ryanair is helping Cyprus to penetrate new markets such as France and Poland.
“This move shows that Cyprus now enjoys the trust of its partners, emphasising the role of the government’s incentive scheme for airlines to maintain their schedules to the island.
Transport Minister Yannis Karousos said that Paphos airport is one of the few that shows increased traffic compared to 2019.
| 5 NEW PAPHOS SUMMER 23 ROUTES |
| Route | Wkly Freq |
| Athens | 2 |
| Bordeaux | 2 |
| Naples | 2 |
| Poznan | 2 |
| Toulouse | 2 |
