Larnaca and Paphos airports cannot cope with passenger traffic

Cyprus airports are expanding air traffic and adding new flights to the schedule. Meanwhile, tourists complain about the small size and low capacity of buildings and poor infrastructure. 

Paphos Airport faces enormous pressure due to its small size and the growing number of flights it handles. This results in overcrowding, long lines and poor traveler service.

“No matter how often I fly from Paphos in the summer and how many hours before departure I arrive, I never manage to check in calmly,” says Nicolas, who lives in Limassol. – There are simply not enough check-in counters here, but there are too many flights. Expansion seems urgent to me.”

Passengers also face problems after going through security. The boarding area, where passengers are directed after their documents are checked, is too small, unbearably hot and ill-suited to handle large numbers of passengers during the summer months. “It’s like being in a metal box with dozens of other people. This is simply unacceptable, there is almost nowhere to sit. I mostly fly to Larnaca, where the situation has improved over time. But my experiences in Paphos have always been disappointing, especially when traveling with children,” says Anne from Birmingham.

In most cases, budget airlines make passengers wait at the plane for up to 15 minutes before allowing them to board. But in the summer this waiting turns into torture. “Standing on a paved area under the scorching sun is no fun,” says Kyriakos, a student from Limassol. – In my opinion, this practice should take into account the warnings issued by the Weather Service. Whenever a yellow or orange warning is issued, people should not be allowed outside, it is simply dangerous.”

Huge queues at passport control upon arrival remain a common occurrence. Sometimes they extend to the runway because the space in the airport's designated area cannot accommodate passengers from more than three aircraft.

The expansion of Paphos Airport has been a hot topic for the past few years. However, the plans have been put on hold due to delays and legal disputes between the Cypriot government and Cyprus airports operator Hermes. At the heart of the dispute is the implementation of Phase B. It was originally scheduled to begin several years ago, but was then delayed due to financial disagreements and difficulties in obtaining the necessary funding.

The Ministry of Transport also expressed its dissatisfaction with the problems at Paphos Airport and stressed the urgency of continuing work to modernize the infrastructure.

There are questions about the quality of ground handling services provided mainly by LGS Handling Ltd. Passengers reported problems with baggage handling, aircraft maintenance and assistance, all of which contributed to overall dissatisfaction. 

A source close to airport management said the problems were well known and LGS Handling had been fined for failing to meet quality standards. Despite these measures, serious shortcomings remain.

Roads leading to Paphos Airport have also come under scrutiny. Poor lighting and poor quality road surfaces make traveling to the airport, especially at night, a challenging task.

The mayor of Paphos, Fedonas Fedonos, remains one of the most vocal supporters of the modernization of the airport and its surrounding infrastructure. He has repeatedly called for urgent reconstruction of the airport facilities and the roads leading to it. After meeting with relevant officials last year, Fedonos stressed the need for joint efforts to restore image and resolve ongoing problems. He also repeatedly drew attention to the financial burden placed on the local municipality. The authorities of Geroskipou, where the airport is located, cannot cover the costs of modernization on their own.

Larnaca Airport has not escaped criticism either. Its problems lie not in size, but in the surrounding infrastructure and traffic jams at the entrance to the departure/arrival area. In October last year, due to the outbreak of conflict in Israel, the authorities decided to close the access road to the arrivals area. All vehicles must proceed to the departure area, regardless of whether they are picking up or dropping off their passengers. Ten months have passed since then, but no satisfactory measures have been taken. The situation, especially in the last three months, has become unbearable. The Ministry of Transport is trying to solve the problem by separating the flow of greeters from the flow of those seeing off.

It is also difficult to park a car at the airport. Cyprus airport operator Hermes has added around 350 new parking spaces this year. However, the significant increase in passenger traffic shows that the existing infrastructure is not enough.

Compounding the problem, some park illegally along the road, including on the bridge and at the airport roundabout. Police spokesman Christos Andreou said traffic control was the responsibility of the police in cooperation with a private company appointed by the airport authority. Since the beginning of the year, police have issued 135 extrajudicial fines for illegal parking around the airport and 23 fines for parking on the highway.

The text was prepared based on materials from Cyprus Mail and Phileleftheros

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