Dora Christodoulou
The air connection of Paphos with Athens is left exclusively to the airlines themselves. Both the state, through the Ministry of Tourism, and the Department of Civil Aviation can not influence airlines to add this line to their flight schedule.
This is the main fact that emerges from today's discussion of the issue in the Committee on Transport, Communications and Works of the Parliament, after its own registration by the MPs of Paphos. It is now clear, after today's debate at Parliament, that a Paphos-Athens flight is under pressure from the province's tourism, economic and social actors, with no room for practical action by state institutions.
The MP of DIKO Paphos, Chrysanthos Savvidis, expressed his dissatisfaction with this situation, emphasizing that the province of Paphos is wronged by the non-existence of flights to and from Athens. He stressed that the abolition of the Paphos-Athens air link, results in the indignation of Paphos residents and not only, as while they would have the facility to travel to Athens easily and quickly, they are forced to go to Larnaca airport with significant additional financial waste and a waste of time.
Mr. Savvidis described as ridiculous the fact that has emerged today from the meeting that the Ministry of Tourism raises its hands and states that the Paphos-Athens air link is not at the center of its goals, and that the Civil Aviation Department clarified that can influence any airline to add or upgrade airlines.
The DIKO MP stressed that the policy of liberalism leads to the current distortions, which are paid by ordinary citizens.
