Hermes Airports, the operator of Larnaca and Paphos airports, announced on 2 December that passenger throughput since 1 January has surpassed 13 million for the first time in Cyprus’ history. The figure reflects 160 routes served by 60 airlines to 41 countries and caps three years of post-pandemic recovery faster than most southern-European peers.
The milestone is more than symbolic. Strong air connectivity underpins Cyprus’ ambition to pivot from a tourist-centric market to a regional business-travel and logistics hub. Hermes says it will now push for year-round service on key city-pairs—London, Paris, Dubai—and for direct links to North American and Asian financial centres to support the island’s growing fintech and shipping clusters.
![Cyprus Airports Break 13 Million-Passenger Barrier, Underscoring Rapid Connectivity Growth]()
From a global-mobility standpoint, robust route diversity translates into greater assignment flexibility, fewer routing detours and potentially lower airfare costs for multinationals basing staff in Nicosia or Limassol. The news may also strengthen Cyprus’ pitch to EU officials that the island is ready for Schengen-area accession, as modernised airport infrastructure is a key technical criterion.
Looking ahead, Hermes plans to expand digital self-service kiosks and automate immigration e-gates—investments that, if approved by border authorities, could further cut arrival times for frequent flyers and APEC-style trusted-traveller programmes.
Travel-risk managers, however, should monitor capacity constraints during peak holiday waves; the record figures suggest terminals could face crowding until planned expansions materialise.
The milestone is more than symbolic. Strong air connectivity underpins Cyprus’ ambition to pivot from a tourist-centric market to a regional business-travel and logistics hub. Hermes says it will now push for year-round service on key city-pairs—London, Paris, Dubai—and for direct links to North American and Asian financial centres to support the island’s growing fintech and shipping clusters.
From a global-mobility standpoint, robust route diversity translates into greater assignment flexibility, fewer routing detours and potentially lower airfare costs for multinationals basing staff in Nicosia or Limassol. The news may also strengthen Cyprus’ pitch to EU officials that the island is ready for Schengen-area accession, as modernised airport infrastructure is a key technical criterion.
Looking ahead, Hermes plans to expand digital self-service kiosks and automate immigration e-gates—investments that, if approved by border authorities, could further cut arrival times for frequent flyers and APEC-style trusted-traveller programmes.
Travel-risk managers, however, should monitor capacity constraints during peak holiday waves; the record figures suggest terminals could face crowding until planned expansions materialise.
