President Nikos Christodoulides on 7 July laid a time-capsule and the foundation stone for Phase II of Cyprus’s two international airports. Operated by Hermes Airports under a BOT concession, Larnaca (LCA) and Paphos (PFO) will gain a combined 25,000 m² of additional terminal space, six extra contact gates, new passport-control zones, and 12 more aircraft stands. The three-year construction schedule is priced at €170 million, fully funded by Hermes with a Bouygues Bâtiment International–Iacovou Brothers joint venture as EPC contractor. At Larnaca, the south-west pier will extend toward the old SBA boundary, creating a straight-line walking route to immigration and slashing minimum connection times for the Cyprus Airways–Aegean codeshare hub operation. Business travellers will welcome eight e-gates dedicated to EU/EEA and UK nationals, as well as fast-track lanes for holders of IATA’s One ID digital wallet once EU trust-framework certification is in place (expected 2027).
![€170 Million Expansion of Larnaca and Paphos Airports Breaks Ground]()
For visitors from countries that still require a visa to enter the Republic, the process needn’t be another queue. VisaHQ’s online platform guides applicants through the latest requirements, offers document-checking services, and can expedite submissions so that travel dates align smoothly with the forthcoming airport improvements.
Paphos – increasingly used by pharmaceutical, agri-tech and gaming companies headquartered in nearby Limassol – will see terminal capacity jump by 30 %. A new mezzanine Business Centre with 12 serviced offices and hybrid-meeting studios has been pre-leased to Regus. Airport manager Eleni Kaloyirou says the upgrade responds to solid traffic: PFO handled 4.2 million passengers in 2025, surpassing its original design limit. Additional Schengen-compliant booths will reduce queue times that regularly breached 40 minutes last Easter. Corporate-relocation specialists say the project strengthens Cyprus’s pitch as a regional base. “When we transfer engineers from Israel or Saudi Arabia, fast immigration and reliable onward connections mean lower cost-of-absence,” notes Orian Levy of MoveOne Logistics. Hermes forecasts the investment will create 550 construction jobs and add €92 million to GDP over the build period. Practical timeline: the first temporary diversions inside Larnaca’s departures hall begin 15 July; passengers should allow an extra 10 minutes for security. The bulk of airside works will take place overnight, but the southern parallel taxiway extension could cause single-runway operations on four weekends this winter – airlines have been asked to file slot requests early.
For visitors from countries that still require a visa to enter the Republic, the process needn’t be another queue. VisaHQ’s online platform guides applicants through the latest requirements, offers document-checking services, and can expedite submissions so that travel dates align smoothly with the forthcoming airport improvements.
Paphos – increasingly used by pharmaceutical, agri-tech and gaming companies headquartered in nearby Limassol – will see terminal capacity jump by 30 %. A new mezzanine Business Centre with 12 serviced offices and hybrid-meeting studios has been pre-leased to Regus. Airport manager Eleni Kaloyirou says the upgrade responds to solid traffic: PFO handled 4.2 million passengers in 2025, surpassing its original design limit. Additional Schengen-compliant booths will reduce queue times that regularly breached 40 minutes last Easter. Corporate-relocation specialists say the project strengthens Cyprus’s pitch as a regional base. “When we transfer engineers from Israel or Saudi Arabia, fast immigration and reliable onward connections mean lower cost-of-absence,” notes Orian Levy of MoveOne Logistics. Hermes forecasts the investment will create 550 construction jobs and add €92 million to GDP over the build period. Practical timeline: the first temporary diversions inside Larnaca’s departures hall begin 15 July; passengers should allow an extra 10 minutes for security. The bulk of airside works will take place overnight, but the southern parallel taxiway extension could cause single-runway operations on four weekends this winter – airlines have been asked to file slot requests early.
