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Hermes Airports Expands Air Connectivity In Cyprus

Strategic Engagement At Connect 2026

Hermes Airports is seeking to strengthen Cyprus’ international air connectivity following its participation in CONNECT 2026, a route development forum held in Lublin, Poland, from February 17 to 19, 2026. The company’s Air Service Development team met with airline partners to discuss route expansion and long-term cooperation aimed at supporting growth at Larnaca and Paphos airports.

Robust Airline Dialogue And Promising Early Booking Trends

During the event, the team held 20 meetings focused on attracting new routes and expanding existing operations. According to Hermes Airports, early booking data from key markets including the United Kingdom, Poland, Scandinavia, and Switzerland shows strong demand. Interest is also increasing from emerging markets such as Spain and Italy, where airlines are gradually building a stable base of travelers.

Driving Year-Round Connectivity And Sustainable Growth

Hermes Airports said continued promotion of Cyprus and targeted engagement with specific traveler segments remain central to its strategy. Several airlines are considering extending seasonal schedules or introducing year-round services, supporting efforts to position Cyprus as a destination beyond the traditional peak tourism period.

Future Outlook And Strategic Vision

Maria Kouroupi, Director of Aviation Development and Communication at Hermes Airports, said existing partnerships with airlines and coordinated tourism initiatives are producing positive results. She added that further international promotion and collaboration will be needed to strengthen Cyprus’ year-round appeal and support long-term growth in air connectivity.

Palantir Surges Amid Geopolitical Turmoil And Market Volatility

Market Resilience Amid Global Uncertainty

Shares of Palantir Technologies rose about 15% during the week following the U.S. attack on Iran, outperforming the broader technology market. Over the same period, the Nasdaq declined 1.2%, reflecting weaker performance among companies such as Apple, Google and Micron.

Government Ties And Strategic Defense Contracts

Investors have increasingly focused on companies with exposure to government spending amid geopolitical tensions and market volatility. Around 60% of Palantir’s revenue comes from U.S. government contracts. The company has expanded work with military and intelligence agencies, including projects linked to the Army’s Maven Smart System program. Analysts at Rosenblatt maintained a buy rating on the stock and raised their price target to $200 from $150, citing expectations of continued demand for defense-related data platforms.

Complexities In Artificial Intelligence Collaborations

Palantir’s collaboration with artificial intelligence company Anthropic has also drawn attention. The U.S. government recently designated Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, a decision later challenged by CEO Dario Amodei.

Despite that designation, cloud providers including Amazon, Microsoft and Google continue to support Anthropic’s AI products for commercial use. Palantir and Amazon Web Services have also worked on integrating Anthropic’s Claude models into certain defense and intelligence applications.

Sector Rebound And Industry Trends

The broader software sector recorded gains during the week. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF increased by about 8% as markets adjusted following earlier declines linked to concerns about the pace of artificial intelligence adoption. Companies including CrowdStrike, ServiceNow and AppLovin also posted weekly gains of more than 15%.

Looking Ahead

Analysts at Piper Sandler noted that Palantir’s model-agnostic approach could support the integration of multiple artificial intelligence systems over time. Continued demand from government and defense clients remains a key factor in the company’s growth outlook.

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