Season kick-off in Cyprus: New Boeing 737-8 named "Larnaca"

• Aircraft becomes flying ambassador of the holiday destination

• TUI airlines with over 3,300 flights to and from Cyprus

• Extended hotel offer for families and couples

Just in time for the start of the summer season, Cyprus is getting a new flying ambassador. Larnaca, the most important region of Cyprus for TUI vacationers from all over the world, is the namesake for TUI fly's new Boeing 737-8. In Cyprus today, the aircraft with flight number X3 4564 was greeted with water fountains by the airport fire department and then received its name Larnaca by the President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou. Around 50 guests, including the Minister of Transport, Yiannis Karousos, and the Deputy Mayor of the City of Larnaca, Iasonas Iasonides, attended the naming ceremony.

"The Boeing 737-8 Larnaca is an ambassador for Cyprus and TUI throughout Europe. People want to travel after two years of pandemic, they are sitting on packed suitcases for spring and summer. Tourism will have a very good holiday summer in 2022. The countries of Southern Europe, which were hit particularly hard by travel restrictions during the pandemic, will benefit from this. Things are looking up for hotels, for family businesses and for the many local partners who work with us to make guests' holidays successful. TUI is the strategic partner for the holiday countries in Southern Europe – including Cyprus, where we have been at home for decades – with our successful joint venture and our own hotel brands Atlantica, Robinson, TUI Blue and our cruise ships from TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd and Marella. TUI has always set standards and will continue to do so in the future, in the development of holiday destinations, in quality, service and more sustainability. This also applies to our aircraft: Larnaca is one of the most modern and CO2-efficient aircraft. Investments in modern aircraft have been an essential part of TUI's sustainability agenda for years. In 2022, we want to bring more guests to the island, especially from the UK and Germany, than in previous years and thus make a significant contribution to the success of tourism in Cyprus. We welcome our flying ambassador Larnaca to the TUI family," said Fritz Joussen, CEO of the TUI Group, during the naming ceremony at the airport.

“It is a great pleasure for me to be the godmother as well as the person chosen to provide the good luck blessing to the TUI Boeing 737-8 named after our city, Larnaca. TUI has been present in Cyprus for several years and the company's long-standing relations with our country are not only vital for the tourism sector but also help in maintaining the island’s competitiveness in international markets. Ι would like to congratulate, and thank TUI for their operations and work carried out in Cyprus and once again thank them for nominating me to host the present naming ceremony”, says Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives in Cyprus.

"It is clearly an honour that a long standing partner such as TUI has chosen to name one of its aircraft after the city of Larnaca, but more importantly this marks the strong relations between TUI and Cyprus and the confidence put on the destination", says Eleni Kaloyirou, CEO of Hermes Airports

Cyprus and TUI have been linked by a long partnership spanning five decades. With around 500,000 guests annually, TUI is the market leader in Cyprus and offers tours to the island from eleven European markets. The group operates 19 own-brand hotels, including 14 in Larnaca and five in Paphos. Its strategic partner is the leading Cypriot hotel chain Atlantica. Seven TUI Blue hotels are also part of the portfolio. The crowd-puller is Robinson Cyprus, which opened last year. The club in the south of Cyprus is located on a long sandy beach and offers an ideal vacation ambience for families and couples. In total, TUI offers more than 330 hotels in Cyprus and has close partnerships with local hoteliers. The third-largest Mediterranean island still has great growth potential and is playing an increasingly important role in Germans' travel plans.

TUI had already expanded its flight offerings with its own airline from Germany in recent years. From April, TUI fly direct flights will once again take off from Hanover, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt to Larnaca. In total, all TUI Group airlines will offer more than 3,300 flights to and from Cyprus in summer 2022 with the largest offer from the UK and Germany. Additional flights with partner airlines are available from Leipzig, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich and Berlin.