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Flying south... - 17 January 2007

Cyprus has had another eventful week. Access to the southern half of the island was given a boost with news of a new flight route into the country, while at the same time the UK government has announced that it would not allow direct flights from the UK to the northern half of the island without specific agreement with the government of the south of the island.

With many experts predicting a good year for property prices in Cyprus as the island prepares to become part of the Eurozone, the market was boosted further by the news that Monarch Airlines, the low cost scheduled airline, has announced plans to fly to the island from the Spring of 2007.

Monarch managing director Tim Jeans commented, “We are delighted to be the first low fares airline to launch scheduled services to the Eastern Mediterranean, a market that has historically been dominated by the flag carriers and charter services.” He also commented on breaking what he called a “high fares cartel” operated by British Airways and Cyprus Airways on scheduled routes to the island.

The new route will fly from London Luton into Larnaca from March, with prices expected to start at around £70 one-way. Tickets are available to book now from www.flymonarch.com

Meanwhile, Minister for Europe, Geoffrey Hoon spoke in Parliament about the question of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), after receiving an application for direct flights from the Turkish Cypriot leadership. The government response was that it would be impossible to authorise flights directly from TRNC without the consent of the Republic of Cyprus.

This led onto an acknowledgement of the importance of the Cyprus question, and a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to efforts to resolve the issue quickly and peacefully, given the amount of Britons buying in the north of the island, and the number of expats living permanently there.

Hoon, quoted in the Cyprus Mail, said, “The property issue, the presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus and the number of Turkish nationals living in the north are a matter of great concern for all who take an interest in Cyprus. The longer the current division continues, the more intractable the problems become.”

The Minister underlined the importance of resuming Cyprus talks under the eye of the UN, and following last year’s agreement to kick-start negotiations through the July 8 agreement.

At present, ‘direct’ flights to TRNC must stop in Turkey before continuing on to the northern part of the island. Given the recent arrest of a Russian couple crossing the border back to the south of the island after buying property in the north, this seems to be the safest route for many travellers.

In other flight news, Central and Eastern European low cost airline Wizz Air has announced new flights and a new operational base in Bucharest, Romania. The five new routes will go to Barcelona, Budapest, London Luton, Dortmund and Rome Ciampino, while two new services will operate between Targu Mures to Barcelona and Rome Ciampino.

Related Articles

• Cyprus: An Overview
• Buying a Property in Cyprus