The Cyprus Airways decision to sell its 3rd and final Heathrow time slot to an American carrier for ¤32 million is once again raising political confrontation as the struggling airline’s board says its trying to survive anyway it can.
A parliamentary discussion on the issue initially scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed indefinitely with the watchdog committee chairman, Disy MP Giorgos Georgiou taking responsibility, claiming that Cyprus Airways is going through a particularly tough period and such a debate would not help matters.
This met with the strong reaction of Akel MPs Eirini Charalambidou, Pambos Papageorgiou and Aristos Damianou who had put the issue on the agenda as urgent. They are concerned that the carrier was selling off its assets and this would lead to its demise.
Akel will seek to overturn the postponement through a majority decision, while Disy circles claim that the opposition is considering convening a meeting of a parliamentary committee that decides on the presidencies.
Pilots union Pasypi is against the assets sale and threatens industrial action, if the final Heathrow time slot goes.
The pilots demand that another meeting of the watchdog committee is scheduled as soon as possible.
Left wing trade union Peo meanwhile, accuses the government for “lack of political will in supporting Cyprus Airways…on the contrary, it is seeking to weaken the airline”.
The first Heathrow time slot was sold three years ago for €22 million and due to further liquidity problems, the second recently followed suit, going for six and a half million.
Cyprus Weekly