Airports' upgrade an investment in Cyprus' international presence, President says

President of Nikos Christodoulides has said on Thursday that the beginning of the works to upgrade the Larnaca and Paphos airports is an investment in Cyprus' international presence, in its growth potential and in the quality of its hospitality, both for its citizens, but also for visitors.

In his address at the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for the second phase of the expansion of Larnaka and Pafos International Airports, that took place on the afternoon of 5 June at Larnaka Airport, the President of the Republic said he was pleased to be there together with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Justice and Public Order.

He added that this is “a project of strategic importance and significance that, among many other things, upgrades the travel experience and creates new prospects for tourism, trade and economic development.”

We are developing and modernising our airports, he went on to say, "on the basis of a partnership that was based on trust, professionalism and commitment of all those involved."

"It is no coincidence that the project we are inaugurating today is the result of what is probably the most important public-private partnership in our country to date, and demonstrates the importance of such strategic partnerships, both for the effectiveness of the projects and the progress that can be achieved.”

The President said that with the completion of the Phase II projects, "the annual passenger service capacity at our country’s two airports will reach 17.4 million passengers, a number that is estimated to be able to serve the needs of Cyprus until 2040."

"This is important because in recent years, our country’s airports have recorded a steady and impressive increase in passenger traffic,” he stressed.

Furthermore, President Christodoulides said that the previous two years recorded record traffic, while this year too, a further increase of 12% is already being recorded for the first five months of the year.

"Looking at the data we have as government, tourism this year will surpass last year, which was a record year with 4 million visitors to our country, which is the result of a collective effort between the State and the private sector.”

He noted "the significant and active contribution" of Hermes Airports to strengthening the connectivity of Cyprus.

The President of the Republic also said that “we are used to linking the operation of airports with the tourism industry and there is a substantial interdependence since tourism is also affected by the connectivity of our country and tourism contributes more than 13% of our Gross National Product.”

“The increase in passengers at our airports is not a coincidence, given the fact that 2024 was a record year,” he pointed out.

Cyprus' airports, he said, as an island country, have a multifaceted role to play, serving a wide range of needs beyond tourism development, in sectors related to economic activity, social cohesion and investments," which constitute a strategic goal of the government.

President Christodoulides said that one of the main pillars of our development policy is to attract quality investments and strengthen economic activity in specific sectors, where the country has a comparative advantages.

"The upgrading of airports and the further development of connectivity are decisive factors in achieving this goal" he pointed out, adding that there are two important milestones for the coming period for which our country’s airports will play a decisive role.

The first milestone, he said, is the assumption by Cyprus of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026. “Our airports will clearly welcome large numbers of visitors from Europe, they will function as the main point of reference,” he said. 

Referring to the second milestone, the President of the Republic said that this concerns the government’s efforts for the full integration of the Republic of Cyprus into the Schengen zone.

This is a strategic goal for our government, he said, and noted that they are making efforts so that by the end of 2025 all internal procedures will be completed, to claim the entry into the Schengen zone, "which will be a development with multiple benefits, both politically and economically, as well as in the security sector.” 

“Our airports will constitute an important infrastructure to achieve this strategic goal,” he concluded.

(Source: CNA)