Winter traffic at Larnaca and Paphos airports is up by 16% in the period November - January compared with the same months in 2024/2025, Maria Kouroupi, Director of Aviation Development, Marketing and Communication at Hermes Airports has said.
In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Kouroupi said that "airport traffic and the connectivity of Cyprus is following an upward trend this winter period," adding that "this is due to a collective effort by the tourism industry, starting with the agreements we have achieved with key airlines, which can boost connectivity all year round."
This year, she noted, "an increase of 16% has been recorded in relation to the same months of the winter period (November 2024 - January 2025)."
Replying to a question about the airlines that use the two airports in Cyprus as well as their destinations, Kouroupi said that "during the winter period, a total of 30 airlines have flights to 54 destinations in 33 countries from Larnaca airport."
The public, she added, "has the opportunity to travel to four new markets, that is to say Spain, Belgium, Slovakia and Northern Macedonia and 10 destinations for the first time during the winter period to Barcelona, Brussels, Bratislava, Skopje, Venice, Heraklion, Timișoara, Suceava, Cluj-Napoca, and Gyumri."
At Paphos airport, she noted, "during the winter period, there are flights from 8 airlines to 35 destinations in 17 countries."
"Apart from the resumption of the route Paphos - Amman, which had stopped, 2 new destinations have been added, namely Düsseldorf and Haifa," she said.
Asked how likely it is for air and tourist traffic in Cyprus to be affected by the situation in the Middle East, Kouroupi noted that "the tourism sector is by its nature vulnerable to geopolitical developments and every tension, whether it has to do with the region or with significant events for Cyprus markets, can affect travel flows."
At this stage, she said, "There doesn't seem to be any impact on the air traffic towards Cyprus."
Apart from that, likely trouble in the broader region may temporarily affect the plans of airlines, and this may delay flights or may force airlines to stop in Cyprus to refuel, she explained.
However, Kouroupi pointed out, even during turbulent times, we have proved that Cyprus and specifically its airports can act as "bridges of peace" serving by extra flights and other arrangements the needs for the repatriation of citizens of countries affected by conflict.
Replying to another question, she spoke of the strategic development of Cyprus' connectivity and its passenger traffic noting that part of this strategy is the standing cooperation with all tourism actors and the state.
As a result, she added, the effort is to have common goals for markets and airlines, to speak the same language and to complement each other in the tourism campaigns undertaken. She referred in particular to specialised conferences and expos, stressing that this coordinated presence and goal-oriented approach "plays a crucial role in the positive results recorded in the last five years despite all the challenges."
The Director of Aviation Development, Marketing and Communication at Hermes Airports also referred to the expansion of the two airports, noting that works agreed with the state have been underway since the end of last March on the basis of a set timetable.
"In Larnaca, their completion has been set for 30 months from their start date, while in Paphos it is estimated that they will take 27 months," she said. "This is an investment of a total value of 170 million euros, which is funded in whole by Hermes Airports," she added.
The plans for Larnaca airport, Kouroupi said, include a new wing connected to the original building, with more boarding and disembarkation gates, extra luggage conveyor belts as well as extra airplane parking spaces.
At Paphos airport, she noted, the terminal capacity will be enhanced by 30%, and an additional north parallel taxiway will be constructed.
(Source: CNA)
