Cyprus Aviation
Key
airport information may also be found at: World Aero Data
Website information on
Cyprus
In 1999, Cyprus had 12 airports with paved runways. Of them,
seven had runways of lengths between 2,438 and 3,047 metres, one
had a length between 1,524 and 2,437 metres, three had lengths
between 914 and 1524 metres, and one had a length less than 914
metres.
Of the three airports with unpaved runways, two had lengths less
than 914 metres and one had a length between 914 and 1524
metres.
In 1999, Cyprus had six heliports and two international airports:
Larnaca International Airport and Paphos International Airport.
Nicosia International Airport has been closed since 1974.
The main airport of the newly established Republic of Cyprus in
1960 was in Nicosia. It was built during the British Administration
of the island and served both Civil Aviation and the Royal Air
Force (RAF). The development of the Nicosia Airport was linked to
the growing tourist industry and in the late 60's a new terminal
building was commissioned. Unfortunately, the course of events
changed due to the Turkish invasion of 1974 after which, the
premises of the airport came under United Nations administration.
As a result, since February 1975, air traffic was catered for
through the Larnaka Airport which was created at the site of an
airport and landing strip of the RAF which had been abandoned in
the late 40s. The Pafos Airport opened for operations in November
1983 to primarily serve the tourism industry of the region of
Pafos.
As a tourist and island nation, Cyprus is highly dependent on
aviation. The majority of passengers use air transport to arrive to
Cyprus. The rise of tourism in Cyprus unfortunately was not matched
by simultaneous development of airport infrastructure. Often,
problems that would arise during peak hours created a negative
image to the traveling public. It was deemed necessary to further
develop the airports. In order to avoid burdening the national
Budget, and by example of international practice, the Government
decided to involve the private sector in the development of the two
airports in 2001.
The modernization process of the Cypriot airports at Larnaka and
Pafos has progressed with the selection of the private consortium
Hermes Airports, which has undertaken the construction of new
facilities via the method of B.O.T (Build, Operate, Transfer) and
the management of the above airports for a time span of 25 years,
ratified by an agreement that was signed on May 12, 2006. The
consortium had taken over existing facilities after having made
improvements to them, up until the construction of the new
facilities.
Hermes Airports has completed the construction of new facilities at
Larnaka and Pafos in accordance with the agreed time frame and the
general master plan prepared by the company ADP (Aeroport de
Paris). The new terminal building at Larnaka Airport was
commissioned in November 2009 and has a capacity of 7.5 million
passengers per year. Provisions for further expansion and
construction of a second parallel runway are envisaged for the
future if deemed necessary. The new building at Pafos Airport
started operations in November 2008 and the terminal building has a
capacity of 2.7 million passengers per year. The size of the two
terminal buildings is such that with respect to passenger
convenience, and according to the specifications of the
International Air Transport Association (IATA), the level of
service provided is B and C , for Larnaka and Pafos
respectively.
Up to the time after which the management of the airports was
granted to the company Hermes (12/05/2006), the Department of Civil
Aviation was responsible for their operation. In light of the new
state of play, the Department’ s role has been modified, and it now
has a supervisory role in matters concerning Civil Aviation
(Security) and licensing/certification of airports in accordance
with Annex 14 (Aerodromes) of the Treaty of Chicago.
Concurrently, in 2008 the monopoly in the area of ground handling
and ramp aircraft servicing changed following the release of
tenders after which two private consortia undertook the work.
Authorization to conduct the work is valid for seven years and both
the Department and the airport operator have a supervisory role
exercising quality control for the provision of the said
services.
The liberalization of air transport, combined with the development
of the airports is expected to create opportunities to transform
Cyprus into a regional transit hub between Europe and the Middle
East. The modern facilities of the two new airports, which provide
a high level of service, will contribute decisively in order to
achieve this goal.
For information on Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation, please see the following documents:
Department of Civil Aviation Information
Department of Civil Aviation Information Structure
Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.
For information on Cyprus aviaiton contact details, please see the following link: