Cyprus Airways: Greece a Big Part of Expansion Plans
Cyprus Airways on Thursday said it will boost its presence and commitment in Greece as part of its reposition strategy in international markets.
Wanting to “reconnect” with the Greek travel market, Cyprus Airways’ representatives held an event in Athens to inform travel agents and journalists on its new identity and also cut the company’s New Year’s cake (vasilopita).
Speaking during the event, Cyprus Airways Chief Commercial Officer Christos Limnatitis said 2024 is expected to be a year of growth for the company.
“2023 was a very productive year for the company – following a restart in 2022 – and the goal for 2024 is to reposition ourselves in the market,” he told journalists.
Referring to the “new” Cyprus Airways, which since 2022 is owned by Arcosjet, Limnatitis said the airline’s plans include adding new Greek destinations to its program and increasing frequencies on existing routes.
While presenting the company’s new identity and strategy, the CCO said the airline will boost its fleet of four aircraft with two additional Airbus A220s after April.
Cyprus Airways’ current fleet consists of 2 Airbus A320s and two Airbus A220s.
“Those of our passengers that had the unique experience of flying on the A220 in both economy and business class spoke very positively and we are happy to see them come back to fly with us again,” Limnatitis said.
Cyprus Airways’ schedule for the winter season includes flights to Athens from Larnaca while in the summer it also includes routes to Rhodes, Skiathos, Preveza (western Greece), Santorini and Heraklion, Crete.
According to Limnatitis, the airline will aim to further increase frequencies of the routes operated to Greece and add new routes that will connect Cyprus with destinations in the Greek mainland and on the islands.
Moreover, he added that there is strong demand from the Greek market for Eastern destinations included in the airline’s flight program. In numbers, Cyprus carried over 500,000 passengers in 2023 and the goal for 2024 is to increase passenger traffic by 10 percent.
Cyprus Airways’ international network for the winter, besides flights from Larnaca to Athens, includes service to Beirut, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Milan, Paris and Zurich. On February 5, the airline will launch routes to Brussels.
The airline’s summer schedule includes routes to Beirut, Tel Aviv, Nice, Yerevan, Dubai, Milan, Paris, Rome, Zurich and Prague. With regard to new destinations to the network for the summer season, Barcelona, Geneva and Brussels are expected to be added.
Alenkin: Greece is a big part of our expansion plans
On his part, Cyprus Airways owner, Mikhail Alenkin, highlighted that the aim is to take Cyprus Airways to a higher level in terms of both quality and customer service.
“I’m very proud of the changes we are doing with the airline and there is more to come… We will add to the fleet, improve the service, add new destinations…. Greece is a big part of our expansion plan and we are looking to add service to more islands, to Thessaloniki and increase the frequency to Athens,” he said.
“There are strong ties between Cyprus and Greece and we always say that Greece for Cyprus is an older brother.”
The “new” Cyprus Airways
Cyprus Airways, as the state carrier of Cyprus, ceased operations in 2015. The company’s trademark was acquired in 2016 after a tender by Charlie Airlines Ltd, which secured the rights to the Cyprus Airways trademark for a decade, and was then operated by S7. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Cyprus Airways was acquired in two phases by Arcosjet, which operates in the private jet market. The acquisition was completed in 2022.