big fraidy cat
18th Oct 2005, 08:48
Below is an interesting article from today's Cyprus Mail. The country is certainly in an excellent geographical position to handle the new business. But can its operational and technical staff handle the job?
Can Cyprus handle a fleet of jumbos?
By Jean Christou
AIR transport authorities said yesterday it would take at least another month before they decide whether to grant an operating licence to Jordanian airline Air Universal, which wants to use Larnaca as a hub for its fleet.
Makis Constantinides, Permanent Secretary at the Communications and Works Ministry, said yesterday Cyprus would not be in a position to grant the licence until the authorities were sure it could cope with an additional fleet.
In addition, he said the Jordanian airline’s fleet was not Airbus, which is what Cyprus civil aviation was more proficient with.
Air Universal applied earlier this year to use Larnaca Airport as a hub for operations to carry out long-haul flights, mainly to the Far East.
The airline’s president Talal Abu Reyal said at the time: “We want to connect the West and the East using Larnaca airport as a hub.”
The airline was registered in Cyprus last year and is awaiting certification for the its two Boeing 747-230Bs. Destinations would include Sao Paolo, Melbourne, Lahore and Jakarta. The airline also has plans to increase the fleet to six jumbos at an overall cost of $130 million.
“If we grant a licence we have to be sure we are in a position to sustain this fleet,” Constantinides told the Cyprus Mail. “The application is still being examined. We expect to reach a decision not earlier than a month’s time.”
Cyprus Civil Aviation, and its capacity to carry out proper checks, has come under scrutiny since the crash in August of a Helios Airways Boeing 737-300 in Greece, which killed all 121 on board. The department is being investigated internally, and EU and US experts have been called in to assess the situation.
Constantinides said taking on a fleet of jumbos such as those operated by Air Universal would be a heavy commitment for the department.
Air Universal was set up in 2002. Its fleet consists of two Boeing 747-230B Passenger Aircraft, two Lockheed Martin L1011 Aircraft, two recently-acquired Boeing 747-200s and two Boeing 747-200s expected to join the fleet before the end of this year.
Abu Reyal said he selected Larnaca as his base because of its geographical location at the crossroads of three continents. This was combined with the fact that Cyprus had recently joined the EU, also a strong selling point in its favour.
He said Air Universal’s long-haul scheduled flight plans would not clash with domestic carriers, Cyprus Airways and Helios, which fly only short-to-medium routes to Europe and the Middle East.
Much of the deal, however, would depend on the planned new airport at Larnaca and the upgrading at Paphos, construction for which has not yet begun.
The government recently signed a deal with Hermes Consortium for the airport project, with the contractor taking over the running of the airports.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
Can Cyprus handle a fleet of jumbos?
By Jean Christou
AIR transport authorities said yesterday it would take at least another month before they decide whether to grant an operating licence to Jordanian airline Air Universal, which wants to use Larnaca as a hub for its fleet.
Makis Constantinides, Permanent Secretary at the Communications and Works Ministry, said yesterday Cyprus would not be in a position to grant the licence until the authorities were sure it could cope with an additional fleet.
In addition, he said the Jordanian airline’s fleet was not Airbus, which is what Cyprus civil aviation was more proficient with.
Air Universal applied earlier this year to use Larnaca Airport as a hub for operations to carry out long-haul flights, mainly to the Far East.
The airline’s president Talal Abu Reyal said at the time: “We want to connect the West and the East using Larnaca airport as a hub.”
The airline was registered in Cyprus last year and is awaiting certification for the its two Boeing 747-230Bs. Destinations would include Sao Paolo, Melbourne, Lahore and Jakarta. The airline also has plans to increase the fleet to six jumbos at an overall cost of $130 million.
“If we grant a licence we have to be sure we are in a position to sustain this fleet,” Constantinides told the Cyprus Mail. “The application is still being examined. We expect to reach a decision not earlier than a month’s time.”
Cyprus Civil Aviation, and its capacity to carry out proper checks, has come under scrutiny since the crash in August of a Helios Airways Boeing 737-300 in Greece, which killed all 121 on board. The department is being investigated internally, and EU and US experts have been called in to assess the situation.
Constantinides said taking on a fleet of jumbos such as those operated by Air Universal would be a heavy commitment for the department.
Air Universal was set up in 2002. Its fleet consists of two Boeing 747-230B Passenger Aircraft, two Lockheed Martin L1011 Aircraft, two recently-acquired Boeing 747-200s and two Boeing 747-200s expected to join the fleet before the end of this year.
Abu Reyal said he selected Larnaca as his base because of its geographical location at the crossroads of three continents. This was combined with the fact that Cyprus had recently joined the EU, also a strong selling point in its favour.
He said Air Universal’s long-haul scheduled flight plans would not clash with domestic carriers, Cyprus Airways and Helios, which fly only short-to-medium routes to Europe and the Middle East.
Much of the deal, however, would depend on the planned new airport at Larnaca and the upgrading at Paphos, construction for which has not yet begun.
The government recently signed a deal with Hermes Consortium for the airport project, with the contractor taking over the running of the airports.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005