Larnaca Airport is the main international gateway to the island of Cyprus. It’s a typical medium-sized Mediterranean Airport – if you frequent southern European airports you’ll feel at home here. That means the terminal isn’t anything special and it’s not perfect but it usually does what it needs to with minimal fuss. And with just about anywhere on the island accessible within a maximum two-hour drive, it’s convenient as well.
Larnaca is one of those uncomplicated airports that has everything within one terminal. And the route from entering the departures hall to completing check-in, security and immigration is very straightforward. It would take a special effort to get lost here.
It should be noted that it can get busy and stressful. As with any airport that sees large volumes of holiday travellers it’s subject to fluctuations in passenger numbers and when it reaches the upper limits of those the results are predictable. Long queues and irritated staff are a possibility. That’s why especially if you’re visiting at peak times it’s important to arrive with lots of time.
You may not like this tip but my best advice is to try and take an early morning flight if you can. That’s before the flood of travellers has shown up for their flights at more sociable hours, and delays are less likely at the start of the day as well. You’ll likely find a relatively calm terminal, well worth the early wake-up.
Larnaca Airport is in an interesting location – part of the sun belt of popular Mediterranean holiday destinations frequented by Europeans but just a 30-minute flight from Beirut and a few more than that to Tel Aviv. As such it gets plenty of service from those cities and others within less than three hours flying time such as Batumi, Kutaisi and Tbilisi in Georgia, as well as Amman, Yerevan, Cairo and Giza.
You’ll find some charter airlines such as Tuifly (flying from many UK cities) and Sunclass out of Scandinavia. Then there’s the usual suspects of scheduled European low-cost including easyJet, Jet2 and Wizz Air. There’s also Gulf service from Qatar Airways and Emirates, of course. And British Airways also puts in an appearance. London is served by three airlines with several flights every day.
Home airline Cyprus Airways is an underrated gem with new aircraft and good service. It offers flights between Larnaca and several European capitals, many destinations in Greece, plus Tel Aviv, Beirut and Dubai. Aegean Airlines also has many flights between Larnaca and Greek destinations.
You may notice you can’t fly between Larnaca and anywhere in Turkey despite their close proximity. That’s because of the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974 and the subsequent division of the territory into south and north, with Turkey controlling the northern portion. Southern Cyprus, where Larnaca is located, therefore has no links to Turkey.
Tip: it is possible to fly from the island to its neighbour to the north, however! You’ll need to cross overland into the Turkish-held portion of the island and catch a flight out of Ercan, where on most days 100% of the flights go to, you guessed it, Turkey.
Larnaca Airport’s operator Hermes Airports recently published figures showing most passengers were processed through the security check in 10 minutes or less. This can obviously vary quite a bit depending upon time of day (and time of year.) But for most passengers it should be relatively painless.
There is the option of a fast track service known as Express Lane. This can be purchased for both departures and arrivals. You can even book it in advance online. If you ask me it’s well worth it not only for the potential time savings on the day, but for the peace of mind in the lead-up, knowing you’ll have an easier time going through.
Keep in mind that although Cyprus is an EU member state, it is not part of the common border Schengen zone, so when travelling to and from Europe you will still need to go through passport control.
The good news: Larnaca Airport has installed eGates for this purpose which does generally speed things up (depending upon whether they’re working and/or the other passengers can follow instructions for how to use them).
The shops here offer the usual range of duty free items and souvenirs, with the added offering of local delicacies and produce such as olive oil and halloumi cheese. So if you’re feeling like you’ll miss these Mediterranean specialties when you get home (check that your destination allows you to bring in things like cheese!) this can be a good place to pick up a few items.
When it comes to restaurants and coffee shops Larnaca has the full range you’d expect, from fast food chains to Greek food and more Cypriot-style cafes. There’s even an American diner. I wouldn’t come here early to eat, but if you have time to kill there are some options.
Larnaca Airport has two lounges on offer. First is the Aegean Business Lounge for Aegean business class and Star Alliance Gold passengers. If you’re in one of those categories it makes sense to use this lounge.
Second is the newly done-up Skala Lounge which is used by several other airports in addition to being open to Priority Pass and other lounge memberships. Assuming it isn’t full it’s also possible to walk up and purchase entry on the day. It’s a nice space with plenty of charging ports (including USB) and decent food and drink.
To reach Larnaca Airport you’ll arrive either by taxi, bus or in your own car. The latter option is a very popular one given that many visitors choose to have a car to be able to do a bit of exploring around this compact island. I would also recommend this option unless you’re specifically there to visit one city.
Note that Larnaca, which is just minutes away from the airport, is a smaller city. If you’re here for a holiday there’s quite a bit of accommodation along the coast nearby. Nicosia, this capital, is a little under an hour’s drive away. While most visitors are headed to the coasts of Cyprus, Nicosia is an interesting city in its own right.
Taxis are available from a number of companies at arrivals and “private transfer” services can be booked in advance as well. I tend to avoid standard taxis and use a ride-hailing app but if you’d rather have something booked and confirmed in advance the private transfer option, while more expensive, is good for peace of mind.
There is no Uber on the island of Cyprus. However it is possible to get a ride using the Bolt app – a popular alternative that can come in handy in various places around Europe. This is a good option for getting in from the airport assuming there are drivers available.
The process of hiring a car at the airport is as straightforward as it comes with a number of major rental companies represented in the arrivals hall. I recommend booking in advance and then heading to the desk to collect keys – after that, the pickup area is a very short walk away.
And if you’re spending any amount of time here and have ambitions to see a bit of the island, a hire car is really the way to go.
Public buses run between the airport and Larnaca as well as Nicosia. They’re an affordable option for getting in from the airport but odds are that as a visitor, like me, you’re going to prefer taking a private car or taxi.
There are also longer-distance coaches that can take you further afield on the island, for example to Limassol or even to Paphos Airport on the other side. If you’re traveling further and not hiring a car these can be a good option as a taxi could get quite expensive.
It’s very unlikely that you’ll be connecting through Larnaca Airport, but if for whatever reason you have the better part of a day available there between flights, my best advice would be to hire a car (or if you don’t want to self-drive, hire a driver) and get to cruising around the island or simply find a nice beach and get set up there for a few hours.
If you have anything under six hours or so, however, I’d say it’s not worth the hassle of entering the country and having to worry about potential crowds on departure again.
While there aren’t any dedicated airport hotels per se, with Larnaca so close there are a number of options for lodging to suit most budgets. You could do worse than the Best Western Plus Larco Hotel, under ten minutes away and well-positioned near the coast.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
IATA code | LCA |
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Serves | Larnaca |
Hub for | SkyUp MT, Condor, TUS Airways |