A total of 9.2 million passengers travelled  through Cyprus airports in 2022, which corresponds to 82% of passenger traffic in 2019, Senior Director of Aviation Development, Marketing & Communication of Hermes Airports Maria Kouroupi, has told CNA.

"The year 2022 ended with 9.2 million arriving and departing passengers, a figure that corresponds to approximately 82% of 2019 passenger traffic," she said.

She added that despite the challenges for the airports, such as the pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the suspension of flights from the two countries, as well as the lack of staff observed in the airlines and ground handling companies, they managed to achieve substantial recovery of passenger traffic and connectivity of Cyprus and to lay the foundations for a stable upward track.

Kouroupi noted that "in 2022 we had flights from 50 airlines in 38 countries and 140 routes," adding that the most popular destinations for 2022 were the United Kingdom, Greece, Israel, Germany, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Hungary and Romania.

She also noted that the continuous communication with the airlines and the two-way exchange of information, the joint actions and the incentive plans, were very important elements for the success.

When asked what was expected for the new year in terms of air traffic, Kouroupi said that "if there is no setback with the pandemic, we remain optimistic as we receive encouraging messages ". She added that the airlines have drawn up an ambitious program with many new destinations, but also with strengthening of the existing routes.