The European Commission threatened Cyprus with legal action on Thursday for failing to fix safety problems at Larnaca and Paphos airports spotted four years ago.
Brussels issued a reasoned opinion – the second-to-last step before court action – saying Cyprus had failed to ensure “that the aerodrome operator of Larnaca and Paphos airports correctly reflects all applicable EU requirements in their respective Aerodome Manuals, including on rescue and fire-fighting services”.
The commission also said it “holds concerns whether the Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation has sufficiently qualified staff in all required technical areas to be able to effectively deal with its aerodrome-related oversight tasks”.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency inspectors detected the problems during a 2020 inspection. The commission raised the issues in a formal notice sent to Cyprus on 16 November 2023.
Cyprus has not solved the problems, according to the commission, which is now sending a reasoned opinion giving Cyprus two months to “respond and take the necessary measures”.
Otherwise, the commission said, it “may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union”.
Hermes: State controls fire services, not airport operator
Hermes Airports, which manages both facilities, said it has updated its operations manual and that the state decided to retain control of fire and rescue services under the concession agreement.
The airport operator said its manual, in force since 2006, has been harmonised with all observations and modifications and was filed with the competent authority in September 2024.
On fire and rescue services, Hermes said the state decided under the concession agreement to keep these services under its own responsibility, meaning the airport manager exercises no control over them.
Hermes said it has submitted recommendations to the competent authority and the Project Concession Directorate, but final decision-making authority belongs exclusively to the state.
The company said the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has recommended that fire services operating within airports should fall under the manager’s control, which it described as usual international practice.
Hermes said it remains in continuous communication with the Project Concession Director and any new developments will be examined within the provided procedure.
The company stressed that any reports about security issues at Larnaca and Paphos airports are not related to the Commission’s concerns and do not reflect reality. It said all security measures are applied strictly according to national and international standards, and the manager conducts systematic checks to ensure maximum operational safety.
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