Cyprus is an island located in the north-eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea off the coasts of Syria and Turkey. It is the largest island in the eastern Mediterranean and the third smallest country in the European Union after Malta and Luxembourg! The island covers an area of 9,251 km2 with a population estimated at 1.176 million.
Cyprus is entwined by a rich turbulent history stretching back to antiquity and by legend it is the birthplace of the ancient Greek goddess of love “Aphrodite”. The islands modern history has in contrast been dominated by the enmity between its Greek and Turkish population and it has been physically partitioned since 1974 with the northern third of the country inhabited by Turkish Cypriots the southern two-thirds by Greek Cypriots. The island is a major tourist destination boasting around 340 x days a year of glorious sunshine!
The Republic of Cyprus (in the south) has two major international airports located at Larnaca in the southeast of the country and Paphos to the southwest both managed by Hermes Airports. Hermes Airports Limited assumed management and control of these two airports on the 12th May 2006 following an international tendering process and recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of this arrangement. Under their 25 year concession Hermes Airports will make significant investments in the infrastructures of the two airports and enhance the passenger experience. Hermes is a company registered in Cyprus consisting of an international consortium of 9 x shareholders, representing a mix of Cypriot and international partners.
Over 70 airlines currently connect Cyprus with more than 110 destinations in 40 countries; and in 2015 the two airports achieved a combined passenger footfall exceeding 7.5 million!
Under this contractual agreement Hermes Airports are responsible for the supply & support of the fire apparatus and fire- fighting vehicles at the two airports. However the Cyprus Fire Service are responsible for ensuring that the necessary staff, training and management of the fire station is maintained in accordance with the fire & rescue requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO).
The latest investment by Hermes Airports in the airport fire & rescue services has recently seen the delivery of a pair of identical Magirus Dragon X6 TEP (twin engine power pack) major airport crash tenders to its hub at Larnaca International Airport. These “top hamper” twin engine variants make use of a purpose built IM39x6 6×6 airport crash tender chassis with independent coli spring suspension, 3rd axle steering plus disc braking with ABS and EPS. The spacious crew cabin is of aluminium construction incorporating right of centre steering, air conditioning and accommodation for a driver + 3 crew with SCBA mountings. These variants are driven by a pair of powerful 824 kw Iveco Cursor-13 Euro 5 diesel engines linked to twin Allison fully automated gearboxes. The Dragons feature modular aluminium construction and GRP tanks carrying 11,400 litres of water, 1,500 litres of foam + 250 kg DCP. Fire engineering consists of a 9,000 lpm pump, an auto 6,000 lpm roof mounted monitor, a 1,200 lpm bumper turret plus 2 x twin agent hose-reels and under body water/foam ground sweep nozzles.
For more information, go to www.magirusgroup.com
Top image: 1 of 2 Magirus Dragon X6 TEP 6×6 airport crash tenders delivered to Larnaca International Airport in Summer 2016.
Top image copyright of Magirus GmbH
Gary Parkinson – contributing editor
