Filenews 25 February 2022 - by Adamos Adamou
The difficulties that are expected to arise for tourism due to the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, if the crisis does not de-escalate soon, show yesterday's cancellations of two flights to and from Ukraine, due to the war, but also the decision to cancel all scheduled flights from the country to Cyprus for the next ten days, a period that according to indications is expected to be extended, possibly until the end of March.
With the start of the invasion, Ukraine's airspace was closed, while the country's airports were under attack, resulting in the cancellation of two Ukraine International Airlines flights to and from Cyprus. According to reports, all flights from Cyprus to Ukraine, where, in addition to Ukraine International Airlines, Wizz Air flies from Cyprus, have been cancelled for at least the next 10 days due to the crisis. Since yesterday's cancellation, around 200 passengers have been affected.
However, the scheduled flights to and from Russia took place yesterday as normal, and the same is expected to continue. Flights from Russia to Cyprus and vice versa are operated by Cyprus Airways and Aeroflot from Larnaca airport, as well as S7 from Pafos Airport. However, due to the Russian invasion and the escalating crisis on the border between Russia and Ukraine, planes cannot pass through Ukrainian airspace, and as a result, the route they follow is being modified, thereby increasing the length of flights to the country, as well as the cost.
In her statements, however, the Senior Director of Aviation Development and Communication of Hermes Airports, Maria Kouroupi, said that after communication with the airlines flying to Russia, there is no intention for the moment to change their schedule, adding, however, that the situation remains fluid. In his own statements, Top Kinisis' CEO and former travel agent chairman Dinos Kakkouras said the war that has now erupted may also affect the psychology of travel in general and not just for arrivals from major markets in Russia and Ukraine. As he noted, it is important for the crisis to de-escalate as soon as possible, because otherwise the consequences will be great. He also listed as a problem of the crisis the decline that the rouble continues to record, as well as the possibility of Russia's countermeasures to Western sanctions. He said the only advantage in terms of the Russian market is that the large volume of bookings is not made at the beginning of each year, but usually late, just before the summer. It is worth noting that in 2019 arrivals from Russia had risen to 781,856, when the year ended with 3.9 million. Flights from Ukraine arrivals constituted about 20% of the total, which in recent years is a market with increasing momentum, approached 100,000.
