Cyprus Airways

The Cyprus tourism sector saw an 85.1% drop in revenue over the first 10 months of the year, data released by the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat) on Wednesday showed.

Between January and October 2020, revenue from tourism is estimated at 376.3 million euros compared to €2.53 billion in the corresponding period of 2019, recording a decrease of 85.1%.

Turkey plans to resume international flights to 40 countries gradually as of June 10, the transport and infrastructure minister said on June 4. 

The international flights from Turkey will carry passengers firstly to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Qatar, and Greece, Adil Karaismailoğlu said in a statement.

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides is confident the tourism industry in the Republic of Cyprus won't have a catastrophic year following the pandemic, while calling on Europe to step up its recovery plan equally across the board.

Cyprus expects to receive some 600,000 passengers in August, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said Thursday, noting that this estimation includes people flying in on commercial and private planes.

Some private jet companies have seen a rise in demand from wealthy Russians who wanted to spend time in the West during the coronavirus crisis but who were unable to take commercial flights amid tight restrictions by airlines and governments.

The Cypriot economy is losing 660 million euros a month during the coronavirus epidemic, Hellenic Bank's chief economist Andreas Assiotis has warned, calling on the Republic's government to implement targeted interventions that will support production so that the economy can restart after the end of the pandemic without being slowed down by any issues.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reiterated on Wednesday that Ankara would continue its energy program in the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus. 

He said, in comments cited by Greek media, that Turkey wants good-neighborly relations with Greece but noted that "a compromise on our rights and interests is out of the question."

Cyprus imposed a curfew on Monday to contain the spread of coronavirus, extending a broad lockdown introduced two weeks ago after a weekend surge in recorded cases.

From March 31, people with only some exceptions are banned from leaving their homes after 9 p.m. 6 a.m. the following morning, the health ministry said.

Cyprus and France held a joint Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise on Tuesday off the coast of Cyprus, with the participation of SAR Units and personnel of the Republic of Cyprus and France. The French frigate Auvergne also took part in the drill.

A Chinese woman, a permanent resident of Cyprus, is being treated at Nicosia General Hospital on suspicion of being a coronavirus carrier.