Aerial view of the Larnaca International Airport in 2022
Aerial view of the Larnaca International Airport in 2022

Situated off the south coast of Turkey within the jap extremity of the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Cyprus is a well-liked vacation spot amongst European holidaymakers. It has three principal worldwide airports, with the operations at certainly one of these services being sure by a posh political scenario. Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at all of them.


Larnaca

Situated within the nation’s southeast, Cyprus Inform notes that Larnaca Glafcos Clerides Worldwide (LCA) is the nation’s largest and busiest airport. Earlier than the industry-wide downturn attributable to the onset of coronavirus, it was serving greater than eight million passengers a 12 months, with most site visitors being seasonal. As pictured above, all kinds of European airways fly to and from Larnaca.

SIMPLEFLYING VIDEO OF THE DAY

The ability opened in February 1975, and changed Nicosia Worldwide (NIC) as Cyprus’s main worldwide air hub. Nicosia had ceased functioning as a industrial airport as a result of Turkish invasion of the island the earlier 12 months. It was left derelict thereafter, leading to scenes such because the one pictured under.

Regardless of, as Trellows notes, initially having a touchdown strip too brief to serve jet plane, Larnaca’s runway 04/22 now stretches for 3,000 meters. This enables it to deal with intercontinental site visitors, corresponding to, as reported by the New York Occasions, Gulf Air‘s continuous flights to New York JFK. Larnaca additionally sees a level of cargo site visitors.

Paphos

Paphos Worldwide (PFO) is Cyprus’s second-largest airport, and is ideally located for vacationers visiting the west of the island. It turned 40 years outdated this 12 months, having initially opened again in 1982. In contrast to Larnaca, it serves as a joint public/army airport, with Cyprus’s Nationwide Guard and Air Drive additionally current. Moreover, not like Larnaca, it would not sometimes deal with cargo flights.

Pre-pandemic site visitors peaked in 2019, when simply over three million passengers used the airport, whose runway is 2,699 meters lengthy. As a result of tourism-driven nature of flights to Paphos (and certainly Cyprus as an entire), many of those arrived and departed on flights that solely function seasonally, and/or on a chartered foundation.

That being mentioned, sure routes are served all 12 months spherical, corresponding to Aegean Airways flights to Athens. Additional afield, UK locations have a powerful year-round presence, due to carriers corresponding to easyJet and Jet2. In the meantime, Ryanair has a substantial year-round presence at Paphos, having opened a base there in 2012.

Ercan

The third and closing lively industrial airport on the island of Cyprus is Ercan Worldwide (ECN). As Easy Flying explored in additional depth in an article printed earlier this 12 months, this facility’s operations are restricted because of its location within the contested territory of Northern Cyprus. This contains the truth that solely Turkish plane can fly there, as Turkey is the one nation to formally acknowledge it.

Navy airfields

Additionally it is price noting that the island of Cyprus is house to a number of army airfields. Some of the notable of those is RAF Akrotiri, which has been in use because it opened in 1955. In line with the RAF, it homes two teams at this time: the No. 84 Squadron and the No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing. Its runway is 2,785 meters lengthy.

What do you make of the airports that serve the island of Cyprus? What number of have you ever flown to or from prior to now? Tell us your ideas and experiences within the feedback!

Sources: Cyprus Inform, New York Occasions, RAF, Trellows