Fresh from the successful launch of its first flights to Sri Lanka, Cyprus Airways is seeking to develop new routes in the Indian sub-continent.
The first target is Mumbai, but the airline is also interested in serving destinations in southern India, says vice-president Achilleas Kyprianou.
Speaking on the eve of the show, he said: "We do not have traffic rights at the moment, but we are in discussions with the Indian government."It is part of a process and it will take some time to complete. I think that in about six months we should have some results."
The airline is actively pursuing new destinations in the sub-continent following the launch of its twice-weekly Dubai-Colombo service.
Promising
Says Kyprianou: "This twice-weekly service, which originates in Larnaca, has proved a tremendous success, with strong interest from the Gulf labour market and outbound tourism sector.
In addition, there has been considerable interest from Cypriot tourists and European tour operators who wish to access Sri Lanka from the many European destinations we fly from.
"Our flights this month look particularly promising and we believe we can safely assume an exciting new year."
He describes the new service as a "test case" to see if it is viable to explore additional routes to India.
Asked about possible new aircraft acquisitions, Kyprianou says it is unlikely that the parent airline will invest in the near future, given the world-wide airline slump. However, its Greek subsidiary Hellas Jet has plans to expand next year and may well be in the market.
Source: Flight Daily News
