TOURISM - AIRPORTS - CANCELLATIONS OF ARRIVALS FROM EUROPE AS WELL - CONCERN OF TOURISM OPERATORS - Filenews 4/3 by Angelos Angelodimou
The bodies responsible for tourism are sitting on hot coals, due to the war conflicts in the Middle East.
Cyprus - without of course seeking it - found itself involved in the developments, on the occasion of the presence of US troops in the British bases, which resulted in the launch of a drone in Akrotiri. As a consequence of this, there was a disturbance and the cancellations of flights and consequently cancellations of accommodation on the island began.
So far, the authorities are keeping a low profile, without making any statements, until the situation is somewhat clarified. According to what has been said so far, it will take about a week for any effects to become apparent and assessed. Of course, flight cancellations are never a good sign, while the fact that Israel is at the heart of events increases the concern, given that in recent years it has developed into the second largest market for Cyprus in terms of arrivals, with a significant contribution to the increase of revenues.
Departures are also cancelled
In a survey we conducted on the Hermes Airports website, we found that there were several cancellations of arrivals from regions of the Middle East, such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Haifa and Tel Aviv. However, cancellations of arrivals were also observed by European countries, such as England and Malta, as a result of concerns about developments in the region.
Another interesting fact that emerges is that there have been several cancellations of departures to European cities. As we have been informed, this stems from the fact that arrivals have decreased and therefore, airlines do not plan flights for just one route. That is, it is not in the company's interest for the aircraft to leave full and return empty. Therefore, both legs of the route are cancelled.
Airline decisions
It is noted that the situation in the Middle East does not only affect Cyprus. According to a Reuters cable, global air traffic remains severely disrupted after the war in Iran, which led to the closure of key air hubs in the Middle East, including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.
Tens of thousands of passengers have been trapped, including Cypriots, and thousands of flights have been affected, with the agency analyzing all the decisions of airlines to suspend flights.
Among them:
- Aegean Airlines: Suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Erbil and Baghdad until the early morning arrivals of March 10. Cancellations to/from Dubai and Abu Dhabi until the evening of March 6 and to/from Riyadh and Jeddah until the morning arrivals of March 7.
- Air France: Cancellation of flights to/from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh until March 5th.
- KLM: Suspension of flights to/from Dubai, Riyadh and Damam until March 9 and to/from Tel Aviv for the remainder of the winter season.
- El Al: Cancellation of flights to/from Israel until 02:00 on March 5th. • Emirates: Resumption of a limited number of flights from the evening of 2 March. The rest remain suspended.
- Etihad Airways: All flights to/from Abu Dhabi suspended until 10:00 GMT on 4 March.
- British Airways: Cancellation of flights to Amman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv until March 5.
- Lufthansa: Suspension of flights to/from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Dammam, Erbil and Tehran until March 8 and to/from Dubai until March 4.
- Qatar Airways: Flights to/from Doha suspended due to airspace closures.
- TUS Airways: Cancellation of all flights to/from Israel until March 8. • Wizz Air: Suspension of flights to/from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman and Saudi Arabia until March 7.
Estimates for a decrease in arrivals
At the same time, US President Donald Trump's statement that "operations in Iran can last up to five weeks", stressing that this is the best chance to eliminate the threat from Tehran's nuclear program, intensifies concerns about the consequences that will arise.
According to estimates by Tourism Economics, published on Tuesday by Reuters, it is noted that the US-Israel conflict with Iran may lead to an 11% to 27% decrease in international arrivals to the Middle East within 2026. This forecast reverses the previous estimate in December, which called for a 13% increase in international visits to the region this year.
According to the same analysis, the drop could translate into a loss of between 23 and 38 million international visitors to the Middle East, with the hit to tourism spending estimated at between $34 billion and $56 billion. Tourism Economics attributes the revision of the forecasts to increased geopolitical uncertainty and a deterioration in the sense of security that influences travel decisions, especially in times of tension in the wider region.
