Nakis Antoniou: We want new investors for Larnaca's old airport

The business world of Larnaca has prioritised the utilisation of the facilities of the old airport in conjunction with the beautification of its surrounding area as a vital and paramount issue.

They also underline that this work should be carried out in a such a way that its utilisation contributes to the broader effort being made towards the business and economic upgrading of Larnaca, with multiplying and multidimensional benefits for the local community.

This position of the Larnaca business community, namely regarding the need to utilise the facilities of the old airport, is also shared by the government, as evident by the recent inspection carried out at the site by the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeades, accompanied by the President of Larnaca Chamber of Commerce & Industry Nakis Antoniou.

Speaking on the subject to InBusinessNews, Antoniou emphasised that the ultimate goal of the entire effort is the creation of new jobs and the development of Larnaca, so that young people remain there and are not forced to abandon their city.

Pointing out that there are companies housed within the old airport whose purpose is aircraft maintenance, the president of the Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry stressed that there are other companies that want to invest in this sector, which - as he pointed out in this regard - has a large number of jobs and by extension can bring great economic benefits to the area.

"We discussed it with Mr. Vafeades and exchanged views on what can be done for the further relevant utilisation of the space," said Nakis Antoniou, revealing that in addition, they requested and received information from logistics companies about the activities that they themselves could develop at the old airport.

"They gave us a lot of information, which we discussed with the relevant minister and we will have other meetings to see how we can properly exploit the space," Antoniou pointed out.

A basic condition for companies to be interested in transferring their operations and facilities, implementing development projects at the old airport, is - according to the President of the Larnaca Chamber - the creation of the necessary infrastructure in the surrounding area, such as roads, etc.

"We spoke with companies that are developing in the area, we also spoke with the Mayor of Aradippou about the creation of a road that needs to be built, from Elladas Avenue to the Kalo Chorio roundabout, so that the area can develop even more," he noted.

Nakis Antoniou concluded by stating that the image of abandonment that the old airport currently presents cannot continue, which, moreover - as he characteristically reminded - is also the gateway for officials to the Republic of Cyprus.

"Don't let a huge asset of our country become a ruin," he warned, referring to the miserable condition it is in today, with fenced-in areas, sloppy works, and grass sprouting everywhere.

"This is an abandoned situation, which should be corrected," he emphasised, to reiterate the need to solve the problems, provide assistance to companies already active in the field in order to develop even further, as well as, of course, for the arrival of new investors.

It is noted that when asked whether there are investors who have shown interest in the development of the old Larnaca airport, Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Alexis Vafeades stated during his visit there on 17 January that from time to time there are various individuals who express interest in investing.

However, to date, as he clarified, there is nothing concrete. "We identify a great opportunity here and we do not want the space to remain unexploited for any longer," Vafeades had underlined.

(Source: InBusinessNews)