Cyprus’ Pafos Airport Targets Growth in European Air Connectivity

Pafos International Airport (PFO) in Cyprus, operated by Hermes Airports, recorded 3.6 million passengers in 2024, marking a 2% year-on-year increase. As part of its long-term growth strategy, a second phase of terminal expansion is underway, expected to boost capacity by 30% and raise annual throughput to 5 million passengers within 27 months.

Hermes Airports is focused on enhancing sustainable, year-round connectivity, with winter season traffic now accounting for 25% of total movements. To further strengthen this, the operator is working with tourism stakeholders to promote Cyprus as a year-round destination. In January 2025, Hermes hosted the “Beyond Sea and Sun” conference to align strategies with airlines, government bodies, and tourism authorities.

Ryanair recently added flights to Düsseldorf Weeze, while Fly One launched service to Yerevan with plans to extend into winter. Wizz Air will begin 2X-weekly flights to Yerevan in October, and Israeli carriers are resuming operations to/from Israel.

To attract new routes, Hermes has published detailed market opportunities on Routes 360. Key targets include:

• Spain: High indirect demand with top unserved destinations Madrid and Barcelona.
• Germany: Opportunities to increase frequencies and add routes to Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Nuremberg.
• UK: Strong demand from inbound leisure travelers and the local British community, with growth potential for Belfast and underserved cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow.
• Italy: Rising demand from Rome, Milan, Venice, and Bologna, with inbound potential for sun, sea, and cultural travel.

Unserved airports include Madrid (MAD), Leipzig (LEJ), and Bologna (BLQ), while underserved routes include Cologne (CGN), Amsterdam (AMS), and Glasgow (GLA).

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