Filenews 25 June 2022 - byAdamos Adamou
After the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the cancellation of all Russian flights and high inflation, another challenge comes to be added for our tourism industry.
At the same time, the situation is not excluded to make it difficult for holidays not only of foreign visitors, but also of natives, who are called upon to be constantly informed about the situation, which, as market players estimate, will take time to normalize. The "scissors" that some airports and large companies, such as Easyjet and Lufthansa, have decided to put on flights, among others, will help, but it is not excluded that new problems and delays may arise due to the decision of employees in companies such as British Airways and Ryanair to go on strikes in the heart of the summer [for British Airways, during the school holidays in England that start on July 22 for most schools finish at the end of August].
Problems in Cyprus too
The spokesperson of the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents (ACTA) Haris Papacharalambous told "F" that the problem that occurs in many airports around the world starts from the lack of staff, which was intensified due to the pandemic, as several employees did not return to their previous work, some chose other sectors for more flexibility, while many have retired. In the aviation industry the problem is even greater, he added, because workers have to receive the required training, which lasts several months. He said, however, that the same problem is being addressed everywhere, even in our own hospitality industry, with Mr. Charalambous expressing the certainty that in the event we had had Russian tourists this year, we could not have served them to a satisfactory degree.
He said the escalation of the problem recently in a number of airports is due to the sharp increase in demand for travel, to the extent that airports and companies have not been able to meet it, leading to flight cancellations and many delays. Delays that, according to Mr. Papacharalambous, often cause new flight cancellations, due to the regulations that exist for the hours of aircrew.
Flight redesign
According to the ACTA spokesperson, we are currently in a process where flights are being redesigned, both by airports and airlines, so that flights can operate normally. Already, he added, companies have begun to announce a cut in thousands of flights, estimating that de facto this will reduce supply and increase the prices of fares, which are already high. So, he noted, slightly fewer people are expected to travel, although the companies are considered certain to operate at higher occupancy, in their effort to serve as many as possible. If everyone's programs are adapted to their true capabilities, then we will have fewer problems, although, as he recorded, the pandemic and the observed surge in cases continue to create malfunctions and contingencies.
It should be noted, however, that, according to information from "F", for the time being, Cyprus is not affected by the flight cancellations announced by EasyJet.
Asked to answer what the traveller should pay attention to, in order to avoid inconvenience, Mr. Papacharalambous recommended to everyone to be in constant communication with the company they chose, in order to avoid unpleasant developments. Finally, he estimated that since the available flights will eventually decrease due to lack of staff, de facto there may be fewer arrivals in Cyprus, but not to the extent that there is real concern.
Last minute bookings
In his own statements to "F", Christos Asprou, vice president of incoming tourism of ACTA, also did not rule out turbulence in travel traffic to and from Cyprus, stating that already some cancellations and delays have created problems in our country as well, with departures and arrivals of tourists that were managed. He said, however, that the demand for travel is so great that potential travellers in case of cancellations try to find alternative ways that, however, are limited.
Mr. Asprou, however, said that if there is no normalization of the picture recorded today, then last-minute bookings are expected to be negatively affected, as no one will want, especially families, to get into trouble with delays and cancellations at airports.
However, for the time being at least, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism does not expect a serious problem to arise due to the chaotic situation at some airports, considering that the cancellations that are expected to occur to Cyprus are negligible and that there is no question of revising the target set, so that tourist arrivals this year exceed those of last year.
Travel... in the air and due to strikes in European Union countries
In addition to the serious shortage of staff, the situation at airports and in the aviation industry in general is exacerbated by the labour turmoil recorded in aviation and beyond, due to rising inflation worldwide.
Yesterday, members of Ryanair cabin crew went on strike in Belgium, Spain and Portugal, in a dispute over wages and working conditions, in the latest wave of strikes by workers in various sectors in Europe.
