Summer seat availability to Cyprus to fall no more than 5%, airport operator says

NICOSIA, May 6 (Reuters) - Airline seat availability to Cyprus this summer will be reduced by "no more" than 5%, the country's airport operator Hermes Airports said on Wednesday, as the Iran war dampens the regional tourism outlook.

Tourist arrivals to the eastern Mediterranean island have fallen since the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran in late February. A British military base in Cyprus was hit in a lone drone strike on March 2.

Airlines have cut about 600,000 seats from schedules for the April-October summer season, while passenger arrivals are expected to decline by around 9%, or roughly 450,000 travellers, said Hermes, which operates the Larnaca and Paphos international airports.

Most adjustments involved lower flight frequencies rather than route cancellations, and there had been no impact on schedules due to fuel-scarcity issues, it said.

Arrivals in recent weeks have shown signs of recovery, with passenger load factors on aircraft rising to between 80% and 85% since April 20 compared to an average of 76% earlier in April. Key tourism markets, including Britain and Poland, were recording load factors exceeding 90%, Hermes said.