Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean and is the third largest in this region. The island has a rich history spanning over 10,000 years. It is small, but it has mountain ranges, s alt lakes, and numerous Blue Flag beaches for cleanliness.
The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia, and other major cities are Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos. The international airports of Cyprus are located in Larnaca and Paphos. The country is considered a very popular tourist destination. Profit from tourism is the main source of foreign exchange in the budget.
Larnaca in the southeast
The largest airport in Cyprus is Larnaca. The new airport terminal building was opened in November 2009 and covers an area of 100,000 sq. m, which allows serving 7 million passengers a year.
Larnaca Airport Services
The airport offers the following services to guests:
- check-in desks;
- ticket box office;
- food and beverage retail;
- parking;
- car rental;
- free internet access;
- luggage storage;
- banks and exchange offices;
- help with traveling with pets;
- cafes, bars and restaurants.
Online arrival and departure board shows the number of flights, the name of the airline, the destination and point of departure of the board, the time of departure and arrival, the status of the flight.
Check-in starts at least 2 hours before flight departure and closes 30 minutes before departure. Some airlines offer the option to check in your luggage online. Web check-in is available 48 hours before departure. Using the web check-in service, passengers save a lot of time.
Some airlines offer Self Check-in, allowing you to get your boarding pass without queuing.
In the reviews, tourists note that the airport in Larnaca, although small, is very convenient. It has all the basic services. In addition, there are no queues here, and the airport employees are friendly and smiling.
VIP for all travelers
The VIP Lounge at Larnaca Airport is the perfect place to start your journey. The hall has the following amenities:
- wide selection of hot and cold drinks,
- free alcoholic drinks,
- coffee corner,
- free hot and cold snacks,
- free newspapers and magazines,
- Internet access,
- information screens.
The hall is open daily, the cost for an adult is 30 euros, for a child - 15 euros. Children must be accompanied by an adult only.
In the reviews, tourists note that the airport in Larnaca is very convenient. It has all the basic services. Who also has no queues, and the workers are friendly and smiling.
Paphos - Western part of Cyprus
Paphos is a historical city in Cyprus. There are so many archaeological treasures on its territory that it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Paphos Airport in Cyprus is considered the second largest after Larnaca. This is a small airport with only one terminal. Car parking, a first-aid post, cafes, restaurants and a duty-free shop are at the service of passengers.
Hermes Airports Limited has assumed responsibility for the development and maintenance of Paphos and Larnaca airports for 25 years. The new terminal in Paphos was opened in 2008.
Paphos Airport Services
At Paphos Airport, passengers can use the following services:
- check-in counters,
- 22 parking boards,
- 7 docking gateways,
- restaurants and cafes,
- gift shop,
- travel agency,
- maternity and baby room,
- medical assistance,
- disability services,
- car rental.
Online board of departure and arrival of aircraft works onjoint with Larnaca official website.
Traveling with young children
Paphos airport has all the amenities for those traveling with small children:
- changing rooms - clean rooms equipped with changing tables;
- place for breastfeeding.
Airport visitors can use any Wi-Fi enabled device to connect and download kids apps to keep young travelers entertained.
Tourists note that the airport is very conveniently located, there is all the necessary infrastructure. It is very clean and comfortable, where you can eat and relax.
Northern Cyprus: Ercan Airport
Ercan Airport is located in Northern Cyprus near the small village of Timvu. Since it is located on the territory of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (a state unrecognized by most of the world community), it does not have the official status of an international airport. All aircraft flying from or to an airport must make an intermediate stop in Turkey. The stop lasts about 30-45 minutes, and, as a rule, there is no change of aircraft. Baggage is already being checked at Ercan Airport. Scheduled and charter flights from Manchester, Stansted and Heathrow operate via a stopover in Turkey.
Between the airport and major cities of Nicosia, Kyrenia, Morphou, Famagustai Lefua, there is a bus, car rental service.
Air carriers flying to Ercan:
- Turkish Airlines is a Turkish carrier based in Istanbul;
- Pegasus Airlines is a Turkish low cost airline operating charter flights across Europe and Turkey;
- AtlasJet is another Turkish carrier operating flights across Europe and Asia;
- OnurAir - operates charter flights from Europe to Turkish resorts;
- BoraJet is a private Turkish regional airline.
There is a duty-free shop on the second floor of the airport offering cosmetics, perfumes, tobacco and alcohol products, drinks, chocolate.
Cafes and bars at Ercan Airport
- BreakPointCafe - here you can enjoy a cup of Turkish coffee in the fresh air.
- Gloria Jean's Coffees - located on the second floor, overlooking the runway, free internet for guests.
- Rioverde Coffee is a newly opened cafe located on the first floor.
- Simit Sarayi is a family run patisserie restaurant.
- Burger City - local fast food for a quick bite.
- Crazy Chicken is a fast food restaurant.
- The Cacao - snacks, pizza and pasta.
Which airport to choose
So, which airport in Cyprus to choose for arrival to the island:
- Larnaca is the main and largest airport serving the city itself and its surrounding areas.
- Paphos - located 6.5 km from the city, the country's second largest airport.
- Ercan - the airport of a partially recognized stateTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Has no international status.
Cob alt and Cyprus Airlines are based at Larnaca Airport and fly to European countries.
Cyprus Airlines
The main national airline Cyprus Airways operates scheduled and charter flights to Europe, Russia and the Middle East. European, Russian and Middle Eastern air carriers operate flights to the island.
In the area of Northern Cyprus, several airlines operate flights: Turkish Airlines, Pegagus Airlines, Cyprus Turkish Airlines. Aircraft of these companies fly to Ercan Airport from major Turkish cities.
Flights to Cyprus from Russia
Flights to Cyprus are charter and regular. Aeroflot and Ural Airlines perform regular flights from Russia to Cyprus. The budget airline (low-cost airline) Pobeda also makes flights to the island. Planes from Russia do not fly to Ercan.
Flights Moscow - Cyprus to Larnaca Airport and Paphos are a very popular destination.
Regular flight SU-2072 flies to Larnaca from Moscow every day. Departure at 10:35 Moscow time from Sheremetyevo airport. After 3 hours 50 minutes the plane lands in Cyprus. From Vnukovo Airport every day a board of Pobeda Airlines flies to Larnaca. Rossiya operates flights from Domodedovo.
Flights on the route Moscow - Paphos are operated by S7 Airlines. Departure time 11:30, flight time 3 hours 55 minutes.
You can also fly to Cyprus from otherRussian cities: St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Ufa, Nizhny Novgorod.
Tourists who want to relax in Cyprus buy vouchers, which already include the cost of a charter flight. Scheduled flight tickets are a little more expensive, but the risk of a delayed flight is minimal.
Charter flights are organized by tour operators and cannot be purchased at the airport ticket office. Charter flights are beneficial during the high season, when a regular flight cannot cope with a large flow of tourists. But such a ticket cannot be returned or changed.
The cost of a ticket for a regular economy class flight is about 300 euros, a business class flight is from 800 to 1,500 euros.
