Pilots of cash-starved Cyprus Airways yesterday called on the management and government not to sell its lucrative London Heathrow Airport slots which are very popular.
And they warned that – if ignored – they will not just stand idly by.
“Under no circumstances should the Cyprus Airways slot at London’s Heathrow Airport be sold,” said a press release from Pasypy pilots union.
“We have information that one of the two slots is to be sold to a carrier not flying out from Cyprus. This means that Cypriot passengers will not be serviced,” it added.
Pasypy also noted that over Christmas this route was more than popular, especially with Cypriot students flying in and out over the festive season as well as with Cypriots living in London.
The pilots also sent a warning that they won’t just stand still if Cyprus Airways goes ahead with selling valuable assets that will not help attract a strategic investor anyway.
The specific route brings in an estimated €15 million in annual revenue, they added.
They did not use the word strike but called on the government to step in and prevent such a sell-off to take place.
As a crucial European Commission decision on the national carrier’s survival gets closer and closer, insiders have said that the ailing carrier is a ship “slowly but steadily sinking”.
A decision in early January may see technocrats in Brussels saying no to a submitted revised restructuring plan which could mean the carrier shutting down immediately.
Because it would have to immediately return millions of state aid funding back to the government, something that the near-bankrupt carrier does not have the money to do.
If the answer is positive, then the airline can proceed with a harsh survival and hope for the best.
The goal is to attract a strategic investor with press reports saying serious offers are on the table being dismissed.