Minister urges traveling Cypriots to fly off-peak

Cypriots are being asked to postpone summer travel during the pick season in order to "help not only themselves but also the airlines and airports," after a crisis in the aviation industry made a crash landing in Europe.

Deputy tourism minister Savvas Perdios is advising the traveling public in Cyprus to abstain from flying in July and August in response to aviation chaos that has been affecting European airports in recent months.

Labor strikes, fuel costs, high prices, and cancellations have been pounding European agencies and the public as post-pandemic travelers were eager to take to the skies, with Cypriot MEPs also making headlines over the weekend after many had lost luggage and were unable to get back.

“There is no magic solution to the problem, and with the demand for travelling being high, airlines have not managed to properly staff their companies yet,” Perdios said on Sunday after a memorial service in Paphos.

But the minister went on to suggest that “if passengers could postpone their travels after July and August, that will help not only themselves but also the airlines and airports.”

Perdios defended his ministry’s advertising for the summer, clarifying that it was being done in a way to promote Cyprus’ summer as being extended through November.

“In this way we also help the airlines, the airports, the agents who make the reservations and so on,” Perdios said.

The debate on how to extend summer season in Cyprus has been ongoing for years, with the administration seeking to offer incentives and pushing local businesses to stay open throughout the fall as many hoteliers were reluctant to do so and pointed the finger at other services being shut down after summer.

Perdios admitted that this year was not going to be without problems, citing big losses in travel from Russia and Ukraine.

But the chaos in Europe’s aviation industry was not believed to have been directly caused by the war in Ukraine, as experts pointed to a number of problems and factors that have been piling up in plain sight.

Reports said high demand after the pandemic, a euro that was weak compared to the dollar, and Washington rescinding COVID test requirements for Americans traveling abroad, all have contributed to the crisis, with EU airports failing to add more staff ahead of time.