No flights to Cyprus canceled due to fires, says Deputy Tourism Minister

Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis confirmed this week that there had been no flight cancellations to Cyprus due to the recent fires that ravaged parts of the island, which coincided with a wave of scorching heat.

Specifically, three villages in Paphos district – Psathi, Choulou and Lemona – were evacuated. forest fires raged on Tuesdaydamaging homes and affecting animals.

In response, President Nikos Christodoulides returned from Jordan to oversee efforts to put out the fires, praising the “superhuman efforts” to control the blaze, which likely started at an illegal landfill.

Above all, despite significant damage, no casualties were reported.

In a statement to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Koumis stressed that “the fires have been extinguished and our country was, is and remains a safe destination.”

Following an article in the British press questioning whether flights to Cyprus had been canceled due to the fires which broke out this week, the deputy minister reassured: “I would like to confirm that we have not had any flight cancellations “.

He stressed that “all scheduled flights are operating normally, the fires have been extinguished and our country was, is and remains a safe destination.”

On the contrary, he highlighted that “today we had the inaugural flight of the Royal Jordanian from Amman, Jordan to Paphos Airport.”

He added that “Jazeera Airways flights between Kuwait and Larnaca Airport have resumed and, in general, flight schedules to our country continue to be reinforced on a weekly basis.”

He also noted that Wizz Air announced this week an increase in the number of its flights from a total of 11 European airports.

More precisely, the European low-cost airline announced on Thursday an expanded flight schedule from its bases in Larnaca, Cluj and Varna, adding 177,000 seats, including 93,000 from Cyprus.

The main route increases include Belgrade to Larnaca (3 to 4 weekly flights), Larnaca to Yerevan (10 to 14), Thessaloniki (3 to 7) and Tel Aviv (7 to 12).

Additional increases cover routes to Athens, Gdansk, Prague, Wroclaw, Bucharest, Vienna and Vilnius.

“Wizz Air continues to strengthen its position as the leading low-cost airline in Cyprus, ensuring that passengers can benefit from high-quality service and convenience without breaking the bank,” the company said.

Regarding Jordan, Koumis said Thursday that a strengthening Diplomatic links between Cyprus and this Middle Eastern country boost Cyprus’ tourism sector.

Furthermore, Koumis highlighted the potential for enhanced collaboration between the two countries’ tourism partners.

During his visit to Amman, Koumis promoted Cyprus as a destination and discussed new air routes with Jordanian officials.

Royal Jordanian Airlines now operates twice-weekly flights from Amman to Paphos, in addition to its Larnaca schedule.

The minister also met with Jordanian tourism leaders to explore further cooperation, including religious tourism.

Furthermore, Koumis said that a new cooperation plan would soon be proposed to Jordan, following consultations with Cypriot tourism stakeholders.

Finally, it is also important to note that the occupancy rate of planes arriving in Cyprus last month reached 85 percent and increases as peak season approaches, according to a report released Friday by Hermes Airports.

According to the report, around 41,000 passengers arrive or depart from Larnaca and Paphos airports daily.