Prague, Czech Republic. Hermes Airports chief executive Eleni Kaloyirou joined European aviation leaders in Prague for a discussion on the rapidly changing Eurasian aviation market as Cyprus works to protect its air links and expand routes beyond traditional source markets.
Kaloyirou took part in a panel discussion at the ACI Europe annual congress and general assembly, hosted by Prague Airport from June 22 to 24 and attended by more than 500 airport executives, policymakers and aviation stakeholders.
Prague discussion focuses on changing aviation patterns
The discussion, titled Eurasian markets, examined how shifting traffic patterns, geopolitical pressure and new demand are reshaping the aviation map across Europe, Central Asia and the wider region.
For Cyprus, the debate comes at a sensitive time. Although Larnaca and Paphos airports recorded an all-time high of 13.75 million passengers in 2025, the island’s air connectivity has been tested this year by instability in the Middle East, changes in airline capacity and a more cautious travel market.
Traffic data highlights pressure on Cyprus
The pressure was reflected in ACI Europe’s latest traffic data, which showed that passenger traffic across the European airport network fell by 0.7 per cent in April, the first year-on-year decline since the post-Covid recovery began.
Cyprus was among the markets most affected, with airport traffic down 16.1 per cent in April, one of the sharpest drops in Europe.
Cyprus expands routes and markets
The wider message from Prague also focused on how airports can respond when traffic patterns shift.
Hermes Airports has continued efforts to build a broader and more balanced network, with the winter 2025-2026 programme covering 37 countries, 34 airlines and 101 routes from Larnaca and Paphos.
The schedule also introduced 13 new routes and four new markets, including links with Albania, Skopje, Slovakia and Spain.
Position between Europe and Central Asia
At the same time, Cyprus is beginning to appear more clearly on the map between Europe and Central Asia.