Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Paphos International Airport

Airport in Timi and Acheleia, Cyprus

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Paphos International Airport (Greek: Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Πάφου; Turkish: Baf Uluslararası Havalimanı) (IATA: PFO, ICAO: LCPH) is a joint civil-military public airport located 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) south-east of the city of Paphos on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is the country's second largest airport, after Larnaca International Airport. Paphos Airport is commonly used by tourists on vacation in western Cyprus, providing access to popular resorts such as Coral Bay, Limassol (about 50 km or 30 mi southeast), and Paphos itself.

01History

The airport first opened in 1982 (1982). In May 2006, Hermes Airports Limited took over the construction, development, and operation of both Larnaca and Paphos airports for a period of 25 years. According to the airport operator, Paphos Airport served 1,744,011 passengers in 2007. A new passenger terminal opened at Paphos in November 2008.

In 2012, Ryanair allocated two aircraft in Paphos with 15 new routes, offering over 80 flights a week.

A new four-lane road is being planned to link the airport and Paphos, so passengers and staff can avoid using the B6 main road and the E603 secondary road which are often heavily congested.

Check-in hall.
Check-in hall.

02Facilities

Passenger facilities include 28 check-in desks, one special baggage check-in, seven gates, 22 aircraft stands, a bank, restaurants, cafeterias, bars, a duty-free shop, and a gift shop. Other facilities include a tourist help desk, car rental, first aid, a baby/parent room, and disabled access facilities. Refrigerated storage, health officials, and X-ray equipment are among some of the facilities provided for cargo. Furthermore, loading platforms and forklifts are also available.

03Andreas Papandreou airbase

The airport is also an asset of the Cyprus National Guard, serving as a military air force base under the call sign 'Andreas Papandreou'. Located on the north-eastern part of the airport, it is considered the most southeastern European air force base component of various EU air forces, as well as a safe base for humanitarian and emergency purposes for other countries.

04Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Paphos:

05Statistics

Annual traffic statistics at Paphos International Airport
Year Passenger handled Cargo Aircraft movements
Numbers% Change Tonnes % Change Numbers % Change
2006 1,832,655
2007 1,744,800004.7%
2008 1,765,431001.1%
2009 1,590,905009.8%
2010 1,613,546001.4%
2011 1,778,898010.2%
2012 2,242,797026.0%
2013 2,175,114003.0%
2014 2,097,923003.5%
2015 2,277,741008.5%
2016 2,336,471002.5%
2017 2,518,169007.7%
2018 2,872,391014.0% 273 17,678
2019 3,044,402005.9% 399 046.2% 18,770 06.2%
2020 0632,990079.2% 131 067.2% 06,337 66.2%
2021 1,517,465139.7% 084 035.9% 12,026 89.8%
2022 3,179,776109.5% 049 041.7% 20,762 72.6%
2023 3,565,51212.1% 272 455.1% 22,348 02.5%
2024 3,633,990 001.9% 113 058.5% 22,740 01.8%
2025 3,837,155 005.5% 81.5 058.5% 22,709 05.4%

Busiest routes

Top 10 busiest routes from Paphos in 2024
Rank Airport Passengers Airlines
1 London-Gatwick 385,005 British Airways, EasyJet, TUI Airways
2 Manchester 298,944 EasyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways
3 London-Stansted 211,416 Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways
4 Tel Aviv 209,954 Arkia, Bluebird Airways, Fly Lili, Ryanair, Sundor, Tus Airways
5 Thessaloniki 157,849 Ryanair
6 Birmingham 120,743 Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways
7 Bristol 113,450 EasyJet, Jet2.com, TUI Airways
8 Athens 101,118 Ryanair
9 Newcastle 89,015 Jet2.com, Ryanair, TUI Airways
10 Vienna 88,115 Ryanair

06Access

Bus

There is a regular bus service from Paphos Harbour station to the airport, limited services also run to / from Paphos Town (Karavella) and Polis. Direct buses to/from Limassol, Nicosia and Larnaca are also available.

Car

The airport is located 20.8 km (12+1516 mi) southeast of Paphos and 61.2 km (38 mi) west of Limassol.

07Accidents and incidents

  • On 21 September 2011, a Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800 inadvertently landed on the taxiway parallel to the runway (Taxiway Bravo, formerly Runway 11L/29R). No other aircraft was on the taxiway at the time, and the Thomson taxied safely to the apron. A NOTAM was published on 20 December 2011, warning pilots of the possibility of mistaking the runway with the parallel taxiway. An additional NOTAM was published on 14 August 2012, recommending pilots to confirm their alignment with the runway by using the ILS localiser when performing a visual approach to runway 29. By 2014, yellow 'TAXI' markings were painted across the width of the parallel taxiway near either longitudinal end, facing approaching aircraft; and a 'TAXIWAY' marking was painted at its junction with Taxiway Charlie (about midway), facing the latter.
Watch videos about Paphos International AirportExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Paphos International Airport, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.