First A220 Commercial Flight for Cyprus Airways

Cyprus Airways has operated the first commercial flight with its new flagship aircraft in its fleet, the Airbus A220.

The flight, (CY310), which took place on 9 August, was operated to the Greek capital, Athens, the most popular destination on the island’s flag carrier’s network.

Celebrations for the flight’s passengers started with a cake-cutting event and photo opportunity at Larnaca Airport’s departures gate and continued onboard where they were treated to a small gift. Present for the occasion were the airline’s Chief Executive, Paul Sies, and Chief Commercial Officer, Christos Limnatitis, who greeted and accompanied the passengers on this flight.

During a short speech before departure, Sies welcomed the airline’s passengers and said that the A220 will shape Cyprus Airways' new standard of customer experience. He said that the aircraft offered the airline a win-win situation by striking the best balance between passenger comfort, operational efficiency and sustainability. “The A220 will play a pivotal role in realising our vision of a greener, more sustainable travel experience and superior comfort for our customers. Every time you choose to fly with the A220 of Cyprus Airways you contribute towards a cleaner travel experience,” emphasised Sies.

At a press conference held recently, Cyprus Airways pledged together with Airbus and the Cypriot Government, to use at least 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. This would effectively bring Cyprus Airways and with it the Cypriot Aviation industry far ahead of any other European country on its way towards Net Zero Carbon operations.

Chief Commercial Officer, Christos Limnatitis, added that the 138-seater A220-300 aircraft will offer customers unmatched comfort with its large and quiet cabin, overhead stowage and the widest economy seats of any single aisle aircraft. The aircraft also boasts of large and panoramic windows and personal charging facilities amongst other amenities.

“The A220 marks an important milestone for us and its introduction shows our commitment to outstanding customer experience and sustainable travel”, added Mr Limnatitis. He said that the aircraft offers significant environmental advantages including unbeatable fuel efficiency with a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions per seat, a 50% reduction in NOx emissions than industry standards, and a 50% smaller noise footprint area than previous generation aircraft.

The 1st flight today marks the start of the gradual implementation of the two new aircraft that by early September must be fully integrated and on-line.

This winter Cyprus Airways is expected to operate the A220 on most of its destinations.

Cyprus Airways, Cyprus’s flag-carrier, resumed operations in 2016. The airline upgraded its fleet this summer with two brand-new environmentally friendly Airbus A220 that will offer up to 25% less CO2 emissions, a lower noise footprint, and a totally new customer comfort standard. The fleet of the company also includes three Airbus A320 aircraft and serves a nineteen, scheduled destination network. Winter destinations include Athens, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Yerevan, Paris, Rome, Dubai, Milan-Malpensa, Prague and Zurich. Additionally, summer destinations include Basel, Santorini, Skiathos, Rhodes, Preveza, Heraklion and Cairo.