Cyprus Airways’ CEO Paul Sies points to the Airbus A220’s flexibility and passenger acceptance as reasons for the airline choosing it as its new equipment. That and “An offer you can’t refuse.”
The airline’s existing equipment consists of three A320s. “We loved the A320, it’s a real workhorse, but it has its limitations,” said Sies. “In heavily seasonal countries like Cyprus, what we’ve seen is that any operator who can fill up all the aircraft in summer, in winter needs to cut capacity and frequency to get to break-even.
“What we’ve found in the A220…is an aircraft that is new technology and gives a passenger performance that’s better than the A320, but has lower direct operating costs. This means that when traffic is not so buoyant, we can maintain frequencies and operate on a much more profitable basis.
Sies added that Cyprus Airways had been given “an offer you can’t refuse” by Airbus, Pratt & Whitney and the lessor.
Cyprus Airways also undertook “a lot of passenger experience testing” with colleagues at airBaltic and Swiss, fellow-A220 users. Cyprus’s customers “love the A220”, he added.
The Larnaca-based airline has taken two A220s on lease, with a further four scheduled to arrive from lessors and six more are in the final stages of negotiation to purchase directly from Airbus with deliveries in 2027.
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