in-cyprus 10 June 2020 -Bouli Hadjioannou
The Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved a €6.3 m incentives scheme to boost Cyprus’ air connectivity in the wake of the lifting of restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The scheme will apply for six months and aims to encourage airlines to put Cyprus on their schedules by undertaking part of the risk, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said.
The incentives will be offered to airlines provided their capacity is between 40% and 70% and the sum will depend on the capacity rate, he added.
It has been calculated based on projections for passengers in the next months of 37,000 in June, 196,000 in July, 460,000 in August, 634,000 in September, 693,000 in October, 380,000 in November and 334,000 in December.
Karousos said some 20 airlines have already put Cyprus on their schedules and more are expected to follow suit with companies restoring the geographical coverage of their flights, albeit not at the same frequency as before the coronavirus crisis.
He also expressed satisfaction with the reopening yesterday of the airports. Protocols had been adhered to and all had gone smoothly.
The first 10 days will operate as a pilot stage with more passengers expected after June 20 when arrivals from 13 countries will not require proof they have tested negative for coronavirus, the minister added.
