Airports in Cyprus
In Cyprus, there are only three airports you can fly into because the rest are used solely for military purposes. The three airports are: Larnaca International Airport, Paphos International Airport, and Ercan International Airport. Together, they see more than 7 million people in a year and if you want to visit Cyprus you’ll have to go to the island using one of them.
Larnaca International Airport
Currently, the biggest international airport in Cyprus is the Larnaca Airport. If you’re looking for flights now, the IATA code is LCA. It’s quite a modern airport considering its proximity to the beach. It houses more than 60 check-in counters and has over 40 gates allowing it to easily accommodate millions of passenger coming through each year. To get to or from the the Larnaca International Airport, you can either take a car, a taxi or a bus. If you are staying at a hotel, you may want to arrange for transportation with them, otherwise you can take a taxi: it would cost around €50 to €70 to get to Limassol, Nicossia or Ayai Napa areas. That would be around a 40 minute ride. If you’re headed to Paphos, it would cost over €100 and take more than an hour to get there (you may want to consider flying into Paphos International Airport instead). Alternatively, you can take express busses to Limassol and Nicossia, or to Paphos Airport it would be more economical with just a few minutes added to your travel time mentioned earlier. If you are headed for Larnaca or Ayai Napa, you can take one of the commuter or intercity buses that ply the roads on schedule. It’s generally safe and somewhat convenient to ride these buses, just remember that you may need to get a connecting bus to reach Ayai Napa. As with taking other any bus, make sure that the buses are in operation when you land and check the wait time for your scheduled trip is taken into consideration when making your plans. Click here to see a schedule of the intercity buses.
Paphos International Airport
The Paphos International Airport is smaller than the one in Larnaca, but it still is complete in terms of facilities like cafes, restaurants, parking and duty free stores. You can even find VIP parking and rent-a-car companies with offices there.
If you’re looking to fly into Cyprus via Paphos International, the airport code if PFO. It is also referred to sometimes as “Pafos.” Most people who opt to fly into through Pafos international plan to visit Limassol or other areas on the west side of Cyprus. Coral Bay, for example, is just a 15-minute ride away.
Getting to and from this airport, like the Larnaca one, is a breeze. You can either take a car or taxi or the regular buses. There are even shuttle or coach buses for those who are going to Ayai Napa or Larnaca.
Ercan International Airport
Third and last is the Ercan International Airport. It is the only airport in the northern area of Cyprus.
Unlike the other two discussed above, this airport is on the Turkish part of Cyprus which mean tourists can get a different side of Cyprus, a different culture. It’s close to the Nicosia, just 13 kilometers away, and other lovely northern beaches.
Some people have concerns about going back and forth between the more Turkish side, but in reality, this poses no problem at all. It’s just like any other airport. One thing to note, however, is that there is no direct flight into Cyprus through Ercan International Airport. Flights must touch down in Turkey and fly into Ercan from there. Despite this fact, many people still choose to fly in through Ercan especially those who are looking to visit the northern areas. Perhaps this is because flights to through here can be up to a few hundred Euros cheaper than other options.
A good thing about Ercan Airport is that you can get flights extremely cheaply to Turkey; so if you are curious about going to Turkey this might be the airport of choice. If you’re looking to travel through Ercan International Airport, note that the airport code is ECN and that it is also sometimes referred to as Lefkosia Airport or Nicosia Airport. Getting around may be a bit more limited than the other two as there are fewer options in terms of public transportation, however, there are some shuttle buses and coach that run on a schedule you can take. You can also take a taxi or pre-book a car service.