In addition, there were an additional 9,343 landings within a decade – from 31,755 in 2008 to 41,098 in 2018.
A decrease was only recorded in 2013, with the number of landings falling to 26,923 from 30,864 in 2011 and 28,447 in 2014.
Increased air traffic means an increase in tourists visiting Cyprus with the data showing that over 45 million arrivals of passengers between 2008 and 2018 were mainly through airports and not by boats, Phileleftheros reports.
Passenger arrivals in Cyprus increased by €1.66 million within a decade – from 3.87 million in 2008 to 5.53 million in 2018 which was the best year so far.
The year with the fewest arrivals of passengers was 2009 with the number reaching 3.56 million from 3.85 million in 2008. A slight decline was recorded in 2013, falling to 3.77 million from 3.87 million in 2012. The traffic recovered in 2014, reaching 2012 levels.
Ever since, arrivals are on the rise with every new year. In 2015, passenger traffic stood at 3.93 million, rising to 4.59 million in 2016, reaching 5.21 million in 2017 and 5.53 million in 2018. The entire tourism industry is trying to take advantage of the positive momentum of recent years with all businesses expanding to meet growing demand.
Car rental companies also rush to supply their fleets with new cars to meet growing needs. The increase in rental cars within the decade of 2008-2018 is 9,636 – a number which says a lot. The number of rental cars was 8,951 in 2008, slightly decreasing to 8,452 in 2009.
In 2010, the number was even lower reaching 7,398. In 2011 there was a slight increase to 7,635. Since 2012 the number steadily rises from 8,564 to 9,198 in 2013, 9,458 I 2014 and 9,886 in 2015. Rental cars in 2016 amounted to 13,324, reaching 15,686 in 2017 and 18,587 in 2018.
Source: In-Cyprus