Filenews 26 August 2025 - by Charalambos Zakos
Record arrivals, an increase in routes and more airlines choosing Cyprus are the data that outline that the country is heading for a new high, not only during the summer season, but also in winter. Tourism operators have always had in mind the extension of the tourist season. Today, however, the discussion is not limited to a few additional months of hotel operation, but concerns year-round tourism.
The data clearly show this trend, since records have recently been recorded not only in the summer season, but also during the winter season, which for many years was considered "dead" for tourism in Cyprus. This seems to have now changed, as the country's airports and air connectivity have been enhanced to such an extent that hoteliers and other tourism professionals can plan the next day for the upgrade of the tourism product during the winter months as well.
The ball is now in the hands of local operators and hoteliers, who are called upon not only to maintain the flow of tourists, but also to enhance it. The big bet is that visitors will be satisfied with their winter experience, so that their interest will motivate airlines not only to maintain routes to Cyprus, but also to increase them.
What the data show
According to the data collected by "F", the messages are extremely encouraging, since arrivals have increased, as have the routes, with several new airlines having made their appearance both at Larnaca and Paphos airports.
In fact, according to the ACI Europe "Air Connectivity Report 2025" published in June, Larnaca and Paphos Airports are ranked first among European airports in terms of the growth rate of direct air connectivity as expressed in the number of flights and destinations.
Specifically, the rate of increase in 2025 compared to 2024 amounts to 18%.
At the same time, Cypriot airports rank second among European countries in the increase in direct air connectivity for 2025 compared to 2019, with this percentage amounting to 22%.
Especially:
1/ In August 2024, passengers exceeded 1.6 million for the first time, while a new record is expected in August this year. Estimates show that the passenger traffic of the year will exceed 13.5 million passengers.
2/ Currently 58 airlines operate 158 routes to 39 countries.
3/ This year, 11 new routes have been launched from Larnaca and 4 from Paphos, of which 8 are year-round. For Larnaca they are the following: Haifa, Barcelona, Timisoara, Venice, Tirana, Riyadh, Skopje, Dublin, Sibiu, Sandefjord, Suceava. For Paphos it is Yerevan, Dusseldorf, Haifa, Lyon.
4/ The new airlines for this year are the following: Larnaca – Saudia, Air Haifa, SkyUp, Animawings, DAN Air. Paphos – Haifa Air, FlyOne, WizzAir.
5/ The air seats for the winter of 2025-26 amount to 4.7 million.
6/ Places for the winter of 2024-25 compared to the winter season 2019-20 have increased by more than 1.1 million with an increase of more than 40%.
Top airlines
"F" identified the top 15 airlines that carry about 75% of all passengers to and from Larnaca and Paphos airports.
Specifically, these are:
| WIZZ AIR |
| RYANAIR LTD |
| AEGEAN AIRLINES |
| EASYJET |
| TUI GROUP |
| JET2.COM |
| BRITISH AIRWAYS P.L.C |
| CYPRUS AIRWAYS |
| SKY EXPRESS |
| EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES |
| LUFTHANSA GERMAN AIRLINES |
| ISRAIR AIRLINES |
| SUNCLASS AIRLINES |
| AUSTRIAN AIRLINES |
| ARKIA ISRAELI AIRLINES |
Kouroupi: Our goal is all-round connectivity
The Director of Aviation Development, Marketing and Communication of Hermes Airports, Maria Kouroupi, in a statement to "F" underlined that the steady increase in passenger numbers confirms the strategy implemented by the company to enhance connectivity of Cyprus. As he said, the agreements concluded with the airlines are already bearing fruit, resulting in a balanced schedule of flights and types of aircraft operating in the Cypriot market.
Mrs. Kouroupi pointed out that Hermes Airports' long-standing goal remains to ensure year-round connectivity, so that Cyprus maintains an uninterrupted presence on the European air transport charts. At the same time, he said that the priority is the introduction of new routes to important European cities with which there is currently no direct connection, further strengthening the country's position in the air transport sector.
