Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’ Audit Office said the Cyprus-Greece ferry service operated at an average of 49% of full capacity from 2022 to 2025 despite recurring complaints about ticket shortages, while the operator continued to receive full compensation through a state subsidy.
Audit Office report and verification
In a report made public on Thursday, the Audit Office said it investigated the complaints and verified the figures through the deputy shipping ministry. Auditor-general Andreas Papaconstantinou said the ferry connection between Cyprus and Greece was relaunched in 2022 based on a political decision aimed at providing an alternative means of travel.
Operator payments and state support
Scandro Holding Ltd carries out 22 return routes during the summer period each year with guaranteed compensation of €5.47 million per year, plus 6% of revenue from ticket sales. The amount not covered by tickets is supplemented by a state grant.
Route data reviewed
The Audit Office analysed data on routes, ticket bookings and payments from July 1 to August 31, 2025, during which 32 routes were carried out: 16 Limassol-Piraeus and 16 Piraeus-Limassol. Of these, 21 routes were selected as random samples.
Capacity use and ticket availability
The investigation found that demand was high and tickets sold out as soon as the platform opened, but ferries were on average only half full from 2022 to 2025. The average number of passengers travelling from 2022 to 2025 was 173 per route on a ferry with a capacity of 350.
Unutilised seats and vehicle capacity
The Audit Office said that while 61,600 passengers could have been served over the four years, only 30,459 were. It reported that on some routes, tickets were sold out but 107 places were not utilised. Vehicle transport capacity was also underused, with the ferry operating at 18% of its capacity.
Booking system practices
According to the Audit Office, the situation occurs because the system allows “complete distortion” practices, where one person can travel alone in a four-bed cabin at a price cheaper than a single cabin.
What changes would you like to see in the ticketing system to better match demand with actual capacity?