Passenger arrivals at Cyprus’s airports fell 16% in April compared with the same month last year, a drop of 95,000 passengers in absolute terms, Hermes Airports said.
The average aircraft load factor across both airports stood at 76% in April, down from 83% in the same period last year, Hermes said in a statement.
For the current summer season running from April to October, airlines have reduced total seat capacity by up to 5%, equivalent to around 600,000 seats.
Hermes estimated the resulting passenger shortfall for the period at around 9%, or approximately 450,000 arriving passengers. The company said September had seen enhanced flight schedules announced.
Load factors have recovered in the 15 days since 20 April, ranging between 80% and 85% for arriving passengers. In key tourist markets, load factors have exceeded 90% for the United Kingdom and Poland.
Cyprus retains connections with 54 airlines operating to 165 destinations across 42 countries, Hermes said, adding that the majority of schedule changes involve reduced weekly frequency rather than outright route cancellations.
For May, Hermes reported the following daily averages by market: the UK accounts for around 30 flights per day with a 92% arriving passenger load factor; Israel 20 flights per day at 60%; Poland 9 flights per day at 93%; and Germany 8 flights per day at 86%.
On fuel supply, Hermes said it had received assurances that adequate stocks are in place and that no flight schedules have been affected by fuel availability. The company said it was monitoring the situation in close cooperation with airlines, the state and the airport fuel supply chain.
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