Cyprus ushered in December with a landmark aviation achievement: Larnaca and Pafos airports have welcomed their 13-millionth passenger of 2025, the highest annual throughput ever recorded on the island. According to operator Hermes Airports, the milestone was reached on the morning of 1 December and reflects traffic on 160 scheduled routes served by 60 airlines linking Cyprus to 41 countries. Tourism revenue is tracking the passenger boom, with the Statistical Service reporting takings of €499.9 million for September alone—up 10.1 percent year-on-year.
Industry stakeholders attribute the surge to an aggressive connectivity strategy launched in 2022 that offered targeted incentives for airlines opening winter services and point-to-point links to secondary European cities. That effort has paid dividends: Wizz Air and Ryanair have turned Larnaca into a low-cost hub, while Gulf carriers restored double-daily frequencies that disappeared during the pandemic. The new traffic mix has diversified inbound markets—Britain still tops the table at 31 percent of arrivals, but Israel and Poland now supply a combined 22 percent.
![Cyprus Airports Break 13-Million Passenger Barrier, Underscoring Rapid Rebound]()
Beyond tourism, robust passenger numbers are a bellwether for Cyprus’s wider economy. Business-travel corridors to London, Dubai and Athens have returned to, or exceeded, 2019 levels, and cargo volumes have benefited from additional belly-hold capacity. Hermes says each extra million travellers supports roughly 3,800 jobs, providing a welcome cushion as the government phases out pandemic wage-support schemes.
For employers managing cross-border talent flows, the milestone offers practical take-aways. First, more year-round frequencies mean greater itinerary flexibility and lower fares for assignees commuting between headquarters and Cypriot subsidiaries. Second, the uptick in third-country visitors will accelerate pressure on the immigration department, reinforcing the need for early appointment scheduling and digitised document gathering. Finally, Hermes confirmed that biometrics-ready e-gates will be expanded at both terminals in 2026, which should reduce queue times once the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) goes live.
The record also strengthens Cyprus’s pitch to join the Schengen area later this decade. Demonstrating that its border infrastructure can handle double-digit traffic growth without compromising security is a prerequisite for accession talks—something officials are keen to spotlight ahead of the country’s EU Council presidency in 2026.
Industry stakeholders attribute the surge to an aggressive connectivity strategy launched in 2022 that offered targeted incentives for airlines opening winter services and point-to-point links to secondary European cities. That effort has paid dividends: Wizz Air and Ryanair have turned Larnaca into a low-cost hub, while Gulf carriers restored double-daily frequencies that disappeared during the pandemic. The new traffic mix has diversified inbound markets—Britain still tops the table at 31 percent of arrivals, but Israel and Poland now supply a combined 22 percent.
Beyond tourism, robust passenger numbers are a bellwether for Cyprus’s wider economy. Business-travel corridors to London, Dubai and Athens have returned to, or exceeded, 2019 levels, and cargo volumes have benefited from additional belly-hold capacity. Hermes says each extra million travellers supports roughly 3,800 jobs, providing a welcome cushion as the government phases out pandemic wage-support schemes.
For employers managing cross-border talent flows, the milestone offers practical take-aways. First, more year-round frequencies mean greater itinerary flexibility and lower fares for assignees commuting between headquarters and Cypriot subsidiaries. Second, the uptick in third-country visitors will accelerate pressure on the immigration department, reinforcing the need for early appointment scheduling and digitised document gathering. Finally, Hermes confirmed that biometrics-ready e-gates will be expanded at both terminals in 2026, which should reduce queue times once the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) goes live.
The record also strengthens Cyprus’s pitch to join the Schengen area later this decade. Demonstrating that its border infrastructure can handle double-digit traffic growth without compromising security is a prerequisite for accession talks—something officials are keen to spotlight ahead of the country’s EU Council presidency in 2026.
