Flying high: Cyprus topping the list in air connectivity recovery

Cyprus has taken first place among the European countries in terms of the greatest recovery in air connectivity, registering a jump between June 2019 and 2023, of the order of +17%.

According to the recent Airport Industry Connectivity Report published by ACI Europe, Cyprus +17% and Greece +4% have recovered in terms of their airport connectivity sector over the last five years, with all airports having been hit hard by the pandemic.

Figures comparing June 2019 with the data for June 2023 in terms of connectivity for countries within the European Union and wider Europe, showed Cyprus in first place with Greece following with a significantly different percentage but with both remaining the only two countries that are currently showing positive development.

The report also refers to the smaller airports, which for yet another year are shown to outperform the larger ones when it comes to recovering from the effects of the pandemic, with Pafos Airport being one of them.

It is highlighted that regional and smaller airports have greater exposure and reliance on leisure and VFR (visiting friends and family) demand, as well as to ultra-LCCs (low-cost airlines).

However, there are huge differences in performance between airports. While island airports, those serving popular tourist destinations and those serving as LCC bases, are seeing impressive growth in direct connectivity with levels far exceeding pre-pandemic (2019) levels, many other regional and smaller airports are still struggling to recover and rebuild direct connectivity.

Some examples of the best-performing regional and smaller airports and LCCs cited in the report are: Trapani (+155%), Tirana (+81%), Zadar (+84%), Funchal (+29%), Chania (+26%), Paphos (+24%), Rhodes (+21%), Bergamo (+19%), Dalaman (+19%), Bristol (+17%) and Brussels-Charleroi (+14% ).

And the competition

Regarding countries outside the European Union, Turkey is at the top with +19%, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with +8% and Albania with +7%.

The performance of non-EU countries is important to Cyprus and its air connectivity on multiple levels, especially since they are listed in a report which is the main barometer of air connectivity.

As can be seen from Turkey's performance, the neighboring country is intensifying the already competitive environment, making it difficult for both Cyprus and Greece, especially in terms of tourism.

The performance of another neighboring country of Cyprus, namely Israel is also worth mentioning. Israel is at -4% compared to 2019, which although small in percentage, is still negative.

This percentage could possibly acquire a positive sign with further connectivity, if, for example, the efforts made to connect Cyprus directly with the USA or even with an intermediate stop in Israel are implemented. Something that the involved agencies are considering quite optimistically for over the next few years.

It should be noted that the direct air connection of Cyprus in general is a primary pursuit of the Government and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, with the responsible Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis announcing just a few days ago a possible connection of our country with Kazakhstan within 2024.

In general...

If we look at the whole picture that prevails in the airports under consideration, and based on the data of the ACI Europe report, national markets record significant discrepancies between themselves.

Only five national markets have exceeded pre-pandemic levels of connectivity and these are Turkey (+19%), Cyprus (+17%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (+8%), Albania (+7%), and Greece (+4%).

Among the largest EU+ markets, the UK (-10%) is the best performer along with Spain (-12%), followed by Italy (-16%), France (-17%), and Germany (-27%) coming last. Other EU+ markets, such as the Czech Republic (-44%) and Finland (-40%), have still not recovered their overall level of connectivity.

As a result of Russia's invasion, Ukraine has lost all commercial air connectivity, with its airspace and airports closed. While international sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine led to significant losses in overall air connectivity for Belarus (-82%) and to a lesser - but significant - extent for Russia (-34%).

Finally, 66% of European airports have regained 66% of their direct connectivity compared to 2019.

(Source: InBusinessNews)