Qatar Airways began its new Doha-Larnaca service with direct flights between the two cities on 6 May.
Having announced the addition of Larnaca to its route map in December 2013, the airline said in a statement: “We are continually striving to provide customers with more options of unique destinations to visit, and the Mediterranean city of Larnaca is a welcomed new addition to the airline’s route map.”
The carrier will be flying four times a week to Larnaca – which is its first route to Cyprus – and the Government has expressed the hope that the number of flights will increase over time.
During a three-day official visit to Qatar by President Nicos Anastasiades in March, the Government signed an aviation agreement with the Gulf state, which provides the right for Qatar Airways to land in Cyprus and continue to other European destinations.
Other features of the agreement relate to unlimited rights of cargo flights by Qatar Airways to Cyprus, and conversely for Cyprus Airways, as well as a code-share agreement between the two carriers, allowing Cyprus Airways to fly to previously unreachable destinations through Qatar Airways.
Meanwhile, Emirates will add three more flights a week to and from Cyprus from 1 August 2014. This news follows the exemption of the pre-entry visa – now also free of charge – applicable to Cypriot citizens visiting the UAE.
Travellers from Cyprus will be able to enjoy once again daily access to Dubai and to Malta which is currently operating on a four times weekly basis. The new service between Dubai, Larnaca and onwards to Malta will add 563 seats a week and an additional 51-ton capacity for cargo per week in each direction.
The new Country Manager for Cyprus, Mustafa al Jabri, said: “Emirates’ decision to re-introduce a daily service to Cyprus is a result of an increase in customer demand. The daily flights will enable more people to visit the country, whether to visit friends or family, for leisure or on business. In addition, the airline will offer better connectivity for our customers when travelling to Dubai, and onwards eastward to the rest of our network in the Indian subcontinent, Africa, Far East and Australasia.”
SOURCE: CYPRUS INVESTMENT
