Larnaka Airport Sets Passenger Record, Eyes Route Growth
Larnaka International Airport (LCA) in Cyprus, operated by Hermes Airports, achieved a new milestone in 2024, welcoming 8.7 million passengers—a 6% year-on-year increase and the highest annual figure in the airport’s history. The momentum is continuing in 2025, with the first six months of the year already recording 11.6% growth compared to the same period in 2024.
The airport’s growth is fueled by continuous expansion of its route network and capacity. New services launched this summer include Saudia Airlines’ thrice-weekly direct flight to Riyadh and AEGEAN’s new thrice-weekly route to Rome Fiumicino. Transavia introduced a new service to Lyon, while Cyprus Airways added seasonal flights to Venice and Sibiu. Airlines such as Wizz Air, British Airways, easyJet, Sky Express, and Sunclass have increased capacity on key routes including London, Warsaw, Bucharest, Thessaloniki, and Milan. SkyUp Airlines has resumed operations, connecting LCA with five Eastern European cities, such as Chișinău and Katowice.
Hermes Airports continues to prioritize sustainable, year-round air connectivity. Winter 2024–2025 traffic rose by 13% over the previous year, with winter now representing 25% of annual traffic. To meet growing demand, Larnaka has added 15% more winter seat capacity compared to last year, and more is planned. Wizz Air will boost its presence this winter with new services to Barcelona, Tirana, Timisoara, Suceava, and Chisinau.
To support future growth, Hermes has uploaded route opportunities to its Routes 360 profile to close existing connectivity gaps. Spain is a top priority, with strong indirect demand—53,000 passengers annually—between Cyprus and Spain, particularly on Larnaka-Madrid and Larnaka-Barcelona routes. Madrid is the most searched unserved destination. German traffic has grown significantly, with over 140,000 indirect passengers. Opportunities exist to increase frequency to cities like Berlin, Dusseldorf, and Hamburg, and introduce new routes to Dresden, Leipzig, Bremen, and Nuremberg.
Ireland is another underserved market. Although Pafos has direct service, 75% of Ireland-Cyprus traffic is inbound leisure. Larnaka-Dublin, with 15,000 connecting passengers annually, offers high potential for stimulation through direct service. Belgium shows similar promise. While Pafos connects to Brussels Charleroi, 33,000 passengers travel indirectly between Larnaka and Brussels. This route is especially important with Cyprus set to hold the EU presidency in 2026.
Portugal is showing steady growth, with more than 20,000 annual connecting passengers. Lisbon and Porto are the main demand centers, and direct service could support both VFR and leisure travel, with Lisbon holding strong search volume. Italy remains a high-growth market, with more than 100,000 passengers annually flying via connecting routes. Beyond Rome and Milan, cities like Venice, Bologna, and Naples offer expansion opportunities, particularly for younger travelers seeking short winter getaways.
Cyprus is also prioritizing direct air links with India. With over 30,000 annual passengers and deepening political and economic ties, Delhi tops the list. The new Business and Investment Council between Cyprus, India, and Greece is expected to enhance connectivity, and regional partnerships with Greece, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon could promote multi-destination travel.
Unserved airports include Brussels (BRU), Madrid (MAD), Tallinn (TLL), Lisbon (LIS), Porto (OPO), Delhi (DEL), Dublin (DUB), Lyon (LYS), Bologna (BLQ), Bremen (BRE), Dresden (DRS), and Zagreb (ZAG). Underserved airports include Berlin, Belfast, Oslo, Geneva, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Hannover, Cologne, and Budapest. Larnaka’s growing capacity and demand make it an ideal hub for future route development.
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