Nicosia International Airport. Abandoned airport in Nicosia. Cyprus Ercan Air Pier

Cyprus is one of the sunniest Mediterranean islands, so the development of tourism infrastructure here was inevitable. International Cyprus air terminals welcome guests around the clock - an endless stream of travelers reaches the island of love. It’s just that people get to the south and north of the island by different routes.

We will tell you about the international airports of Cyprus and help you find them on the map of the island. We have to look inside the terminals, figure out transport connections and plot the optimal route from Moscow.

List of airports in Cyprus

There are seven airports in Cyprus, which are focused (primarily) on the needs of civil aviation. There are airport terminals in the following places:

  • Larnaca;
  • Pathos;
  • Limassol;
  • Nicosia;
  • Gechitkale;
  • Episkopi;
  • Ercan.

Let us note that Nicosia airport has long been abandoned, so there is no point in thinking of getting to the Cypriot capital on a direct flight.

Gecitkale and Ercan are located in the northern part of the island, but only one of these airports accepts international flights. Thus, the list of international “air gates” of Cyprus is quite meager - these are Ercan, Paphos and Larnaca.

Coastal airports and popular tourist destinations

Cyprus' international air terminals are located in popular coastal regions, with regular transport links between them.

The main airport of the Republic of Cyprus is Larnaca, whose passenger turnover has exceeded the mark of eight million souls per year.

Tourists from China, the UAE, European countries, St. Petersburg and Moscow arrive in Larnaca. Direct flights are possible all year round; in summer, charters from Russia are added.

  • Within reach of the airport are the main resorts of the country:
  • Protaras;
  • Limassol;
  • Ayia Napa;

Nicosia.

The distance to the listed cities from Larnaca is about 50 kilometers. Paphos is 100 km from Larnaca, but it has its own airport.

Larnaca is the largest and youngest airport in Cyprus.

  • There is no railway connection in Cyprus, so you will have to travel to nearby cities by wheeled transport. The options are:
  • regular bus;
  • rented car;

It is most convenient to go to Limassol - taxis are located right at the entrance to the terminal. Regular buses run constantly (the gap is observed only between midnight and three o'clock in the morning). A ticket to Limassol will cost you 8-9 euros. True, the path from the station to the tourist area is not short, so you will have to pay another 15 euros for a taxi.

Ayia Napa can be reached from both Larnaca and Paphos. A good option is Intercity taxi. Departing from Larnaca to Ayia Napa on a weekday, you will pay 11.5 euros, on a weekend – 14.2 euros. From Paphos it will be more expensive - 30-35 euros. The Intercity bus (from Larnaca) costs 7 euros. Car rental will cost approximately 40-50 euros/day.

The main tourist destination associated with Paphos Airport is Paphos itself. The elite resort is just a stone's throw away - a measly 6 kilometers. Bus 612 runs between the terminal and Paphos. If you arrive at one in the morning, you will have to wait for the flight until seven in the morning. You can also get to the city by taxi - prepare 30 euros for this.

Cyprus airports on the map

It's time to do some geographical research. Before your trip, you should carefully study the location of airports. To do this, we have marked key points on the map - you can independently estimate the distance to the selected resort.

Main tourist airports in Cyprus

So, you remember that the island is divided in two by the “green line” passing through the center of Nicosia. Therefore, we will consider airports in the south and north separately. All the best resorts in Cyprus with sandy beaches. And we will start with an overview of the “air gates” of the Republic of Cyprus - Larnaca and Paphos.

Larnaca is the youngest and largest airport in Cyprus. It’s not far from the nearest cities, but we’ll still mention the key distances:

  • Larnaca center – 5 km;
  • Ayia Napa – 46 km;
  • Nicosia – 49 km;
  • Limassol – 70 km;
  • Paphos – 139 km.

The airport is located in the southwest of Larnaca. The official website of the airport is located at www.hermesairports.com. You can contact the help desk at +357 24 816 400. There is also an online board where you can track the flights you are interested in.

Here is a list of Larnaca's base airlines:

  • Cyprus Airways;
  • Aegean Airlines;
  • Eurocypria Airlines.

There is only one terminal at the airport, but the infrastructure is quite developed. There are car parks nearby, and the building houses bars, cafes, souvenir shops and duty-free shops. You will also find a VIP lounge, a business center, a travel office, bank branches and a first-aid post. Everything you need is placed compactly, organization is at a high level. Speed, smiles, hospitality of the Cypriots - these are the distinctive features of this small airport.

Now it is the turn to discuss Paphos Airport. It is considered the second busiest city after Larnaca. Paphos is aimed at luxury beach holidays, which not everyone can afford. Therefore, significantly fewer tourists come here. However, low passenger turnover does not affect the quality of services provided.

The terminal infrastructure includes:

  • cafes and restaurants;
  • the shops;
  • ATMs;
  • rental offices.

The only airport in Northern Cyprus is Ercan.

The main difference between Paphos air terminal is the dominance of charter flights. Paphos is connected to Russia by airlines controlled by Transaero. You can take advantage of low-cost airlines (Ryanair is a good option), which have established regular connections with Europe.

The transport problem in Paphos is the lack of direct bus routes to neighboring resorts. Get ready to use the services of taxi drivers, they will cost about 20-70 euros (depending on the destination). You can find out more about this airport by visiting their official resource - www.hermesairports.com. You can also view the online scoreboard here. Reference number: +357 24 816 400. There are only two base airlines in Paphos - Eurocypria Airlines and Cyprus Airways.

The following cities are within reach:

  • Paphos (center) – 15 km;
  • Policy – ​​50;
  • Limassol – 63;
  • Nicosia – 146;
  • Larnaca – 129.

Ercan is the only way to Northern Cyprus

Most countries in the world have not recognized Northern Cyprus as an independent state, so getting there from Russia will require transfers.

When planning a holiday in Northern Cyprus, be prepared to fly through Turkish territory. The transfer takes place in Antalya or Istanbul. Here we come to an interesting point. If you wish, you can fly to Northern Cyprus via Paphos or Larnaca. But if you arrive in Ercan, forget about penetrating to the south. The Cypriots there will consider this a violation of their legislation. You may have legal problems. You can bypass the system - put a stamp on something other than your passport (there is a special form for this, ask for it).

The following resorts are located near Ercan:

  • Nicosia – 13 km;
  • Famagusta – 40;
  • Kyrenia – 63.

Any information, including an online scoreboard, can be found on the official resource - www.ercanhavalimani.com. Information number: +90 392 600 5000. The only company whose planes land in Ercan is Cyprus Turkish Airlines. The airport is connected to the nearest resorts by bus. You can use the services of taxi drivers.

Optimal routes for Muscovites

The most popular among our compatriots are charter flights, the number of which increases sharply with the onset of the high season. Information about the rules for obtaining a Cyprus visa for Russians, it is not difficult to obtain.

Flights from Cyprus Airlines and our native Aeroflot fly to Larnaca from Moscow. Transaero aircraft fly between Paphos and Moscow.

It is worth noting that the Cypriot carrier basically goes around Turkish territory, so the journey can take 4.5 hours.
If you want to get home in three hours, trust your life to domestic cab drivers.

Non-stop regular flights are organized from Domodedovo. In summer, Sheremetyevo joins the transportation. If you search, you can find a lot of offers from low-cost airlines. For just 12,000 rubles you can get to Larnaca from Moscow on JatAirways. There are also cheaper options:

  1. Aegian– cost 11 thousand rubles, connection in Athens (quite long);
  2. airBaltic– the flight will cost you 10-11 thousand (transfer in Riga);
  3. Orenair– direct charter for 12-15 thousand (flight duration – 3.5 hours).

You can fly from St. Petersburg to Larnaca by Aeroflot - in total you will spend 16-18 thousand. There are other budget options - Transaero (15 thousand), UIA (12500) and S7 (the same amount).

You can get to Paphos from Moscow for 117-142 dollars. Departure points are Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports. Carriers are Transaero and C7. You need to fly to Ercan via Istanbul. Departure point: Domodedovo.

Summarize. Russians easily get to Cyprus through three international airports, two of which are located in the southern part of the island, and the third in the unrecognized northern part.

The flight from Moscow is fast - about 3.5 hours (if non-stop). The cost will range from 12-18 thousand (round trip).

When planning a vacation in the north (TRK), do not forget about the political features of this territory. Have a nice trip!

You can find more information on the topic in the section.

As a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the island was divided into two parts. Many important buildings, cities and regions have since been abandoned and are slowly collapsing. One of the most abandoned places on the island of Cyprus and the airport in Nicosia.

The airport in Nicosia was once the main island airport. Located in the very center of the island, not far from the capital, it could receive all planes arriving on the island. Its construction began in the 30s of the last century. The first main runway was built in 1939. The airport was owned by the British Army.

Initially the airport was primarily used by the RAF, but regular civil air services began soon after the concrete runway was built. After the start of the war it was suspended. During the Second World War, the airport infrastructure was expanded and the length of the runways and taxiways was increased. In 1943-1944 the airport was used as a base for bombers attacking Romanian oil refineries in Ploiesti.


After the war, civil air traffic to Nicosia was restored, but the airport itself was not entirely suitable for handling civil traffic, due to the lack of a terminal. Its construction began only at the beginning of 1949. The work cost around £50,000 and was completed in May of that year. Over time, in order to cope with the growing passenger traffic, in 1959 they decided to enlarge the terminal. Then the airport in Nicosia received the official status of an international airport.



In the 60s, the flow of passengers associated with the development of resorts on the island increased more and more, and the airport in Nicosia was not able to handle such a flow of civilian and military vehicles. Therefore, in 1966, the Royal Air Force officially moved its units to other airports on the island. This made it possible to begin reconstruction of the airport and build a new, much larger terminal.

On March 27, 1968, a new, modern terminal developed by the German company Dorsch und Gehrmann was opened. The cost of its construction was 1.1 million pounds. The building could accommodate 800 passengers and accommodate 11 aircraft. An expansion was planned in 1974, but in July all plans collapsed due to a coup on the island.



The airport was closed to civilian traffic, and was used to receive Greek military aircraft, which provided support for the Greek revolutionaries. On July 18, a chaotic evacuation of tourists and foreign citizens from Cyprus was organized at the airport. As a result of the Turkish invasion, the airport in Nicosia became one of the main targets of the landing forces. Already on July 20, they bombed and significantly damaged some of its buildings and infrastructure. After the fighting, the airport was classified as a demilitarized zone controlled by the United Nations.


The airport was soon reopened in 1977 to evacuate three aircraft belonging to Cyprus Airlines. One of the Hawker Siddeley Tridents, unfit for flight, and the wreckage of the previously destroyed Avro Shackleton remained at the airport.

Some of the buildings on the outskirts of the airport were seized by UN forces, who used them for their own needs, but the terminal and most of the hangars and workshops were left to their fate. The crumbling buildings quickly became attractive to adventurers who managed to reach the remains of the old airport.



The loss of a major airport had a significant impact on the island's economy. Therefore, already in 1975, one of the British military airfields in the south of the island was transformed into a civilian airport - Larnaca International Airport. In 1983, another airport was launched - Paphos International Airport.



The issue of an airport in Nicosia has been raised several times, but despite discussions on this issue, no action has been taken. The main reason is said to be the lack of need to restore the destroyed airport, while there are already 3 new ones on the island.

Nicosia Ercan International Airport is an international airport of the partially recognized (only Turkey recognized) state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Due to the fact that the airport is located in a state unrecognized by most of the world community, it also does not have the official status of an international airport and its IATA and ICAO codes are not included in the officially registered lists. Ercan Airport is located 20 km east of the capital of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia, near the village of Timvu.

Nicosia Ercan Airport is regularly used by several international airlines to operate their cargo and passenger flights. The airport operates regular, charter and seasonal flights to Turkey, as well as to European destinations (with a mandatory stopover at one of the airports in Turkey).

Passenger terminal of Nicosia Ercan Airport

Currently, the Ercan Airport terminal complex has one passenger terminal.

The airport terminal building houses various retail outlets, shops, restaurants, bars and cafes.

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Nicosia is one of the few world capitals without its own airport.

Or rather, there is an airport, but it has been closed since July 20, 1974, when Turkish troops landed on the territory of Cyprus. UN peacekeepers decided that the airport should not go to either side. As a result, time has stopped here.

Nicosia Airport has been the main airport in Cyprus since the early thirties. On March 27, 1968, 6 years before the war in Cyprus, the most modern terminal for that time was built. More than a million pounds sterling was spent on construction. The new terminal could simultaneously handle 11 aircraft and up to 800 passengers.

Aeroflot planes even flew here.

My acquaintance with the airport began with the control tower.

This is what she looked like forty years ago.

And this is what it looks like now. Time is merciless.

Despite the devastation, one gets the feeling that people left here quite recently. The iron boxes with maps, rusted over forty years, were clearly opened in a hurry.

The best view of the surrounding area opens from the roof of the control tower, where the radio operator's room was located.

From here I was able to film UN helicopters conducting training flights over the airport.

The building of the new airport terminal can be seen from there. This is what it looked like in the early seventies.

And so it is today. The glass was broken, the letters were crumbling, and there were traces of gunshots.

On a sign in the middle of the hall there is the inscription Tipping porters not allowed (don't tip porters). The last porter left here forty years ago.

For forty years, only airplanes painted on the walls have flown here.

There has been no smell of fresh food in the buffet kitchen for forty years.

The main attraction of the airport is one of two aircraft destroyed by Turkish troops - a Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident in the Cyprus Airways livery.

Here he is in front of the terminal in the early seventies.

And this is what it looked like the day after the bombing.

Damaged, but not yet looted.

3 years after the war, British specialists repaired them (using, among other things, spare parts from destroyed aircraft) and they left Nicosia airport under their own power. By the way, this was the last flight from the airport. Today one of the Tridents (in British European Airways livery) is in the Imperial War Museum in Duxford. BAC1-11 flew under the Cyprus Airways flag until 1995.

The condition of the Trident at Nicosia airport is clearly not museum-worthy - the interior is completely looted, the windows are broken, and there are bullet marks on the fuselage.

Another aircraft on the territory of Nicosia airport is the military Avro Shackleton MR.3 XF700. In 1962, it made an emergency landing; repairs were considered unprofitable - the plane was used as a simulator.

As you can see, the war did not spare him either.

On August 29, 1973, a year before the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, a Czechoslovakian Tu-104 flying from Damascus skidded off the runway at Nicosia Airport. No one was killed, but the plane was beyond repair. This is what the plane looked like the day after the incident.

The plane was bought by an enterprising Cypriot - they say almost everything was ready to turn it into a restaurant, but the plans were interrupted by the war.