Filenews 9 February 2021 - by Adamos Adamou
2021 may have started badly for the local airports, since in January passenger traffic recorded a new double-digit decrease of 90.5% compared to 2020, but the prospects remain encouraging for an improvement in the situation this year, mainly due to the changes that will take effect from March in relation to the categorization of countries from which Cyprus will accept tourists.
Speaking to "F", the Minister of Transport, Giannis Karousos, clarified that despite the adoption of additional measures for those arriving in Cyprus since last Saturday and the three-day self-limit to which visitors are now obliged, the plans for the implementation from 1 March of the amended Action Plan of the gradual resumption of flights and the reopening of airports are not overturned.
The amended plan, he recalled, ensures that for 56 countries there will be no quarantine in any of the three categories, further noting that the categories from 1 March change from A, B and C to green, orange and red. According to him, the categorization of countries will now be based on the weekly report/evaluation of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Cyprus Ministry of Health will only assess the countries for which there will be no ECDC assessment. From 1 March there will also be a fourth category, grey, which will be stricter and which will also include self-containing/quarantine measures.
Giannis Karousos clarified, however, that under the plan to be implemented on 1 March, the maximum categorization in which the 56 countries can be found to ensure the continuity of air connectivity with Cyprus will be the red category, for which a double molecular test is required, one in advance and one upon arrival.
These 56 countries are the Member States of the EU, the European Economic Area including the United Kingdom and Switzerland, countries on the list of recommendations of third countries of the European Council and nine third countries: Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Lebanon, the UNITED STATES, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Belarus. The new categorization is mainly based on the obligation to test, the minister said, noting that Cyprus has been the first in the EU to implement it since last year and we see this year several countries actually copying it, he said.
Stability message
The Minister acknowledged, however, that the situation due to epidemiological data in Cyprus and abroad remains fluid, but, as he noted, the planning for the changes that will take place on 1 March does not change at the moment. "With the changes we are pushing forward, the aim is also to send a message of confidence and stability to the airline industry," he noted, in order for airlines to plan their flights. "We are ready for the implementation of the plan," he added, adding that the necessary changes to the Cyprus Flight Pass have already been made.
New player for flights to Greece expected soon
Already, as the Transport Minister said speaking to "F", the amended Action Plan for the gradual resumption of flights seems to be in response to the airlines, which, he said, are planning to increase their routes or start new ones. Giannis Karousos also revealed that a new company is expected to soon be active on flights to Greece from Cyprus, a development that will enhance competition for this route and that there will be flights to and from Abu Dhabi. Finally, Mr Karousos referred to Wizz Air's announcement to strengthen its base in Cyprus with a third aircraft and to launch new routes.
However, as mentioned, the year began with a further reduction in passenger traffic, since passengers travelling to and from both airports of the place according to the latest Hermes Airports data were limited to 43,678 compared to 459,688 in January 2020 (-90.5%). , passenger traffic was limited to 2,312,806 passengers, compared to 11,273,748 in 2019 (-79.5%).
