Hermes Airport’s Stefanos Toumbas: “Solving real-time problems requires knowledge, flexibility and collaboration” (video)

“At Hermes Airports, the IT Department is an important part of the operation of the airports of Cyprus,” Stefanos Toumbas, airport operator’s Head of Information Technology & Telecommunications reveals.

In a recent interview featured in Hermes Airport’s Flight Mode magazine, Toumbas noted that managing increased passenger traffic and solving real-time problems requires knowledge, flexibility and collaboration with the entire airport community. “The main responsibility of our team is to ensure the smooth operation and availability of all airport systems, while parallel priority is the security of data and infrastructure,” he said.

He went on to reveal that, just recently, Hermes Airports, had made significant improvements, starting with a total upgrade of the network infrastructure. “By investing in state-of-the-art equipment, we have further strengthened the security of our services to address cybersecurity issues while also strengthening our Wi - Fi infrastructure which is available to the traveling public within the two airports,” Toumbas elaborated.

“In cooperation with the airlines, we have reintroduced the Resort Check -In service a process that facilitates the departure of passengers during peak periods. We also offer the Tagomat and Bagomat machines that simplify baggage check-in and drop-off processes, significantly reducing waiting time at baggage check points, and we encourage airlines to use them,” he also explained.

As the head of the Information Technology & Telecommunications went on to note, Hermes Airports has upgraded self-service check-in points and increased the number of express access points for faster and more efficient passenger service . “We also make sure that our systems provide updates to the public in real time regarding the status of flights either through our website, or through the airport screens and also through the chatbot with live updates via Viber, Messenger or X (Twitter) he added.

According to Toumbas, “Information security remains our top priority, which is why we regularly conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration tests with the aim of protecting and preventing cyber-attacks, ensuring that our systems are protected from potential external threats and that Hermes staff are up-to-date and ready to respond and manage such incidents.”

“Finally, we want to assure passengers that Larnaca and Paphos airports are properly equipped to provide a positive and upgraded travel experience and our effort is the continuous upgrading and development of services with exactly this goal in mind,” he concluded.

Toumbas’ video interview, in Greek, can be viewed below.

This interview first appeared in Flight Mode magazine. Click here to view it.